What Makes Us
by Mymomomo
Summary: It's the little things that count, the small gestures that make a relationship, and the words that say 'I love you' in thousands of different ways.
1. From Scarlett Foxie

**Here's another prompt based drabble fic for you guys. **

**Hope everyone enjoys.**

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><p><strong>Cosplay <strong>

"Ichigo, why are those people dressed like that?" Toushiro asked, indicating a large group of teenagers dressed in brightly coloured wigs and fake armour and weapons, making their happy way through the shopping centre.

Ichigo smiled; it was extremely endearing how the world of the living was so mysterious to Toushiro. He was constantly asking questions every time they went out. Ichigo found had to struggle not to smile when he explained simple things such as how to use a vending machine or how to open a juice box.

"Cosplay," Ichigo answered, wrapping an arm around Tosuhiro's shoulders as he followed the teenagers with his eyes. "There must be a convention in town."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow, still obviously confused.

"Um, cosplay... it's when people dress up as characters from animes and mangas."

Toushiro tilted his head. "Why?"

"...Because it's fun."

Toushiro eyed the group of teenagers sceptically.

"We should try it some time," Ichigo grinned, "I can think of a few characters you'd look cute as."

Toushiro scowled and shoved Ichigo's hand from around him in favour of crossing his arms across his chest. "In your dreams, Kurosaki, I'm not cute."

He listened patiently, however, as Ichigo listed off numerous characters which he thought would suit him.

**E-reader **

Ichigo was beginning to wonder if the _Kindle_ he had gotten Toushiro for his birthday was threatening his position as boyfriend. He really shouldn't have been jealous of an electronic reader, but, here he was, glaring at the thin, black tablet in Toushiro's hands and plotting ways which he could destroy it and make it look like an accident.

**Toy Dragon **

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Toushiro snapped and held the blue, stuffed dragon at arm's length.

"Don't you think it looks like Hyourinmaru?" Ichigo asked.

"Not at all."

"Oh come on, I spent all that time trying to win it for you. That game wasn't easy you know; I bet it was rigged."

Toushiro huffed. "I didn't ask you to..."

"Well, you could always pass it on to Yuzu or Rangiku, I guess." Ichigo shrugged and ran his hand through his hair, trying not to sound as dejected as he felt.

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "Why would I do that? You got it for _me_."

Ichigo smiled when the small _shinigami_ tucked the toy dragon under his arm and shyly reached for his hand.

**Kitten Videos**

"Oh my god, Shiro, you have to see this!" Ichigo shouted over his shoulder.

He heard Toushiro sigh, "What is it, Ichigo?"

"Look." He pointed to his laptop screen. Toushiro huffed and moved to stand behind him.

He replayed the video of a fluffy kitten playing with a piece of blue tinsel on a stick. The poor thing was so excited it didn't know what to do with itself. Not to mention it had the biggest pair of eyes he had ever seen. He felt himself smiling widely and something melted inside of him. Even Toushiro chuckled a bit. He turned to the white-haired boy shaking his head with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Wasn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?" he asked.

"It was pretty cute," Toushiro admitted.

"It's like you're long lost twin."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo grinned. "If you were an animal, you'd be that kitten."

Toushiro sighed, but decided to humour him. "Why?"

Ichigo cocked his head. "Well, you're adorable, and you're kinda pretty fluffy."

**Diet Pepsi**

"This tastes weird; I don't like it." Toushiro pulled a disgusted face as he swallowed the bubbly, black liquid that Ichigo had forced upon him.

"It's not that bad. Lots of people here like it," Ichigo said, tilting his head.

Toushiro scowled at the glass in front of him. "Well, I'm not one of them. It has a weird after taste; my tongue feels strange."

"It shouldn't have an after taste." Ichigo frowned and took a sip from Toushiro's glass. "Ugh, that's diet; no wonder you don't like it. Here," he pushed his own drink to his boyfriend, "taste mine."

Toushiro eyed Ichigo's glass with mistrust, but took a small sip anyway. He didn't recoil in disgust this time.

"Better?" Ichigo asked.

Toushiro shrugged. "I suppose so, but it's sweet." He paused. "Is it supposed to bubble so much-"

He was cut off by a rather loud belch. He covered his mouth with both hands and glared at the glass again. Ichigo laughed loudly, throwing his head back; absolutely howling with mirth. Toushiro glanced at him mortified and a pink blush spread across his cheeks.

"Don't worry; that's supposed to happen too," the redhead explained in between chuckles.

**Facebook**

"When did you take this picture of us?" Toushiro asked. He looked over the laptop screen to his boyfriend who was currently leafing through a chemistry textbook.

"Which one?" Ichigo asked, chewing the end of his pen.

"This one," Toushiro turned the laptop towards him, "It's your 'profile picture' I believe?"

Ichigo turned to the laptop so quickly that he gave himself whiplash. "How the hell did you get on to _facebook_?" he exclaimed snatching the computer from his boyfriend.

Toushiro shrugged. "It was there when you gave it to me. Is it a problem?"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck and hesitated. "I guess not." He handed the laptop back to Toushiro. "Sorry that was just a reflex; Keigo likes to mess with my status whenever he can..."

Toushiro's face was blank.

Ichigo sighed and moved to sit next to the _shinigami_ and pulled the computer on to his lap. "This is _facebook_," he explained. "It's like this online community for all your friends. You can share pictures and statuses with people." He scrolled down his news feed, showing Toushiro all the stories and pictures his friends had posted. "And your friends can comment and 'like' your stuff."

Toushiro titled his head, "Can't you do all that in person?"

"Yes, but this is easier. You can still keep in contact with people who aren't around."

"I see. So that picture... all of your friends can see it?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" he clicked on his profile picture to enlarge it.

He thought it was a nice picture of him and Toushiro. The smaller boy was resting his head on Ichigo's shoulder and staring at the camera with a raised eyebrow. Ichigo was smirking and had his head tilted to rest his check against Toushiro's hair. Almost all of his friends had 'liked' it and he had gotten more than a few comments saying how cute they were together and asking if Toushiro was is boyfriend and inquiring about their relationship. It was the most comments he had gotten on any picture before.

Toushiro was silent as he regarded the picture and read some of the comments. "I guess not..." he said after a while. "Who's Keigo? I don't think I've met him before."

Ichigo sighed and looked to the comments. He remembered Keigo being the first one to comment when he changed his profile picture.

'_Who's that? He's smoking hot tho... when can I meet him?'_

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I don't think you'd want to."

**E-bay**

"What is this? This is not what I ordered," Ichigo growled, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"What is it?" Toushiro asked, nudging the package with his toe.

"It's not what they showed in the picture, I'll tell you that. It's not even the right colour. And some assembly required my butt. It came in three boxes! That's the last time I order anything from _E-Bay_."

"Well, the seller was called SexyassPrisionPrince69... I mean, you should have figured."

**Ring **

Toushiro was nervous for many reasons. One; Ichigo was missing and that was never a good thing. The redhead was like a puppy or a small child; the moment Toushiro took his eyes off him chaos always ensued. Two; he had left a small, black, velvet box on his desk in his haste to find his missing boyfriend and if Rangiku saw it all hell would break loose in a matter of seconds. Three; he was going to ask Ichigo to marry him.

He shouldn't have been nervous for the third reason; he and Ichigo had been dating for a very long time now and Ichigo had been making a few offhand remarks about marriage since he had graduated med school and was wrapping up his internship at Karakura General Hospital later this year. Toushiro had been thinking about calling the redhead his husband, as well, and had plucked up the courage to finally ask him. He needed to find Ichigo first, however, and get the ring from his office.

...

"I know I said I would come to see you first, but that idiot, Renji, literally attacked me with his _zanpakuto_ as soon as I got here." Ichigo exclaimed as he and Toushiro walked hand-in-hand back to the Tenth Division. "Were you worried?"

"I always worry, about you," Toushiro sighed, "if you haven't noticed you attract trouble like bugs to a light."

Ichigo elbowed him lightly. "That's not true anymore."

"Sure."

Ichigo bowled into the office as soon as he slide open the door, intending to face-plant on the couch and take a solid nap, but he spied a tiny, black box on Toushiro's desk and went to investigate instead.

Toushiro groaned inwardly. He should have gone back for the ring before going to find Ichigo. He fought down a heavy blush when Ichigo picked up the box and flipped it open. The redhead went completely silent as he stared at the sliver ring which sat innocently on a bed of white satin. Well there was no backing out now, Toushiro thought and sunk to one knee like he had seen a few people do in the world of the living.

Ichigo turned around, still eyeing the ring, but his mouth dropped slightly and his eyebrows rose into his hairline when he saw Toushiro. One hand flew to cover his mouth, but Toushiro could tell from the wrinkles around his eyes that he was smiling widely.

Toushiro struggled to find his voice for a few seconds, but spoke clearly with a large smile of his own. "Ichigo Kurosaki, will you marry me?"

Ichigo removed his hand from his mouth and slowly went over to gently pull Toushiro up from the floor. The next thing Toushiro knew Ichigo had hoisted him up and was kissing him fiercely. He had no choice but to kiss back and wrap his arms around Ichigo's neck, his legs went around his waist.

"Whoa whoa whoa, keep it PG in the office." They hadn't even heard Rangiku enter and reluctantly broke apart. It was as if she had a sixth sense for when something juicy was going down. "What's the occasion?"

Ichigo grinned and Toushiro blushed again.

"He asked me to marry him," Ichigo said breathlessly and adjusted his hold on the small captain.

Ragiku's jaw dropped then her open mouth slowly turned into a wide smile. She jumped up and down clapping her hands, but then stopped suddenly and tilted her head. "Wait, _Captain_ asked? I thought you'd be the one to propose, Ichigo."

"Yeah, me too," the redhead admitted.

Toushiro huffed. "Why does it matter who asks? The outcome is the same either way." He rested his head on Ichigo's chest and tightened his arms around his neck.

Ichigo gasped softly, "Oh shit, my answer is 'yes' by the way."

Rangiku chuckled and Toushiro rolled his eyes. "I know, you moron."

**Tattoo **

"Is it going to hurt?" Ichigo asked, chewing the inside of his cheek.

The tattoo artist grimaced, "I'm not going to lie; so yeah."

Ichigo sighed and turned to his boyfriend.

Toushiro chuckled softly, "This was your idea, don't go chickening out now."

"Alright, you said hip right?" the tattoo artist asked with a grin, "you just lie down here and we'll get started."

Ichigo swallowed as he lowered his pants to expose his hip and hoped onto the smooth, leather platform. Toushiro stood off to his side with his arms folded across his chest and an amused smirk on his face.

"Don't be nervous, Kurosaki, I'm sure this isn't going to be the worse pain you've ever felt."

"Pain is pain, Shiro."

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "Baby."

The tattoo artist took a few more minutes to get everything ready. Ichigo chewed his bottom lip when the tattoo gun started buzzing and he squeezed his eyes shut. It was a stinging, burning sensation that caused him to hiss sharply. He heard Toushiro sigh softly then a small, cool hand grasped his own and held it tightly.

"Just breathe, Ichigo." Toushiro said soothingly and pecked him lightly on the cheek.

The tattoo took around an hour and a few minutes and by the end of it Ichigo was breathing through his teeth, but had succeeded in ignoring most of the pain in favour of running his thumb over Toushiro's knuckles. However, he grinned as he examined his hip in the full length mirror in the store. His skin was red, raw, and very puffy, but the artist had done exactly what he wanted. A delicately detailed dragon – that looked eerily like Hyourinmaru, even though Ichigo insisted that it was not; Toushiro knew better – surrounded the short _kanji_ phrase 'strength in family'.

Toushiro hung back and watched as Ichigo gingerly prodded his hip. "I like it," he said after a short while and Ichigo turned to him, his smile widening. He had to admit that the mark accentuated the hard lines of Ichigo's lower abdomen, if not looking a little suggestive with the placement. He had been a little sceptical about Ichigo's idea to get a tattoo, but it had turned out well and was... sexy.

"You should get one too," Ichigo suggested, "we could match."

"No, I like it on you, _only_ you."

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><p><strong>This set of prompts was gaciously donated by Scarlett Foxie<strong>

**If anyone has any prompts they would like to see done feel free to leave them in a review.**

**-Mymomomo**


	2. From Corisanna

**Dive**

Ichigo watched as Toushiro skirted around the edge of the pool, eyeing the hoards of boisterous families with mild disdain. The redhead had been surprised when his boyfriend had agreed to accompany him to the community pool that afternoon. It was a hot summer's day and they really had nothing else to do. Ichigo had suggested the pool and after minimum persuasion Toushiro had agreed with a huff. However, once they both had seen how crowded the pool was that day Ichigo admitted that his ingenious idea was not so bright after all.

Toushiro turned to tell him something just as a pair of children zoomed past, shoving them both to the side. Ichigo glared at them for a second before he heard a sharp gasp and a splash. Wincing, he turned in time to see Toushiro break the surface of the water and scramble for the edge of the pool. His face spelt murder, but the white locks that fell in his face gave him the appearance of a wet terrier puppy.

**Blackjack**

"It's simple math," Toushiro explained, displaying his hand and showing everyone that he had won the game for the fifth time in a row. There were groans all around the blackjack table.

"Don't tell me you calculated our hands based on the four you had in yours..." Ichigo said, baffled.

"Of course not; there's more to it than that..." Toushiro snorted.

"He's card counting," Renji scowled, throwing down his hand. "I give up."

"It's not against the rules," Toushiro smirked.

Ichigo was still baffled.

"Hmm, pity you don't look twenty-one, otherwise we could be cashing in at the local casinos," Rangiku grinned.

**Speed**** Skating**

"Have you ever tried skating, Shiro?"

"Nope, what's that?"

"You've never heard of ice skating?"

"No, that's why I asked."

"Well, it's like skating... on ice."

"The name told me as much,"

"It's kinda self-explanatory..."

"Do you want to go skating, Ichigo?"

"Yeah, I think you'd like it since you have an ice-type _zanpakuto_ and all."

"Okay, let's go."

"Now?"

"Yes now."

"We can't go now."

"Why?"

"It's the middle of summer, that's why. There's no ice."

"Why would you bring it up then?"

"I was thinking ahead."

"... You saw me training yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yeah, how's your butt doing?"

"..."

"I didn't know you could slip on your own ice."

"Just because it doesn't happen often doesn't mean it can't happen. _All_ ice is slippery, you know."

"But it was _your_ ice-"

"Have you ever tried deflecting a _getsuga tensho_?"

"..."

"Exactly."

"Maybe if you practiced more..."

"So, you want to bring me skating to practice not falling on ice?"

"I don't want you to hurt yourself..."

"Screw you, Kurosaki."

**Salt**

"Too sweet?" Ichigo asked when he saw Toushiro wince as he took a sip of the freshly made lemonade.

"Too salty."

Ichigo groaned and covered his face with his hands. They really should not have kept the salt and sugar right next to each other, in matching jars.

**Wikipedia / ****wiki-walk**

Infinite knowledge, literally at his fingertips, no hassle, no labour, everything was just _there_. Toushiro's mind was blown.

**Jigsaw puzzle**

"How do you find this relaxing?" Ichigo asked, picking up a near microscopic puzzle piece from the pile in the middle of the table.

"Don't mess it up; I had those organised," Toushiro snapped, holding his hand out for the stolen piece.

"Organised?" Ichigo muttered, "It's all just a jumble of mismatched pieces; I don't see any bit of organisation here."

Toushiro rolled his eyes, "Go away if you're only going to criticise."

Ichigo pulled up a chair and sat down next to his boyfriend. "Where do we start?"

Toushiro stared at him for a couple seconds before sighing softly and handing him the box. "The edge pieces are the easiest to find, you can start with that."

Ichigo looked from the picture on the box to the piles of pieces on the table. "Easiest?" he echoed.

"You can leave when you get bored," Toushiro muttered. He had already started to piece together a patch of blue and cotton-like clouds. His tiny, slender fingers sifted through the piles with quick grace as if he knew exactly which piece went where.

Ichigo chuckled softly and watched his boyfriend for a while, fiddling with two edge pieces that in no way belonged together. He didn't enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles, there were always too many pieces, it was too confusing, and most of the time a piece or two went missing. But, he loved watching as Toushiro was consumed by this little hobby. Sometimes a puzzle took him a few days, sometimes a week, to complete. On weekends it was a frequent occurrence to find him hunched over a table, fitting pieces together late into the night. He scowled up to the moment the puzzle was completed, but when he was done he offered up a small, contented smile that Ichigo wished would stay on his face forever.

"Watching me isn't going to help you build your section, you know," Toushiro, huffed raising his eyes to glance at the redhead.

Ichigo grinned and leaned over to place a soft kiss on Toushiro's nose before pushing his chair from the table and standing up. "I'll give you two hours until you have to take a break."

Toushiro scowled. "I can decide when I take my own breaks, thank you very much."

"Yes, but I know you, Toushiro; you'll forget to eat if I leave you alone."

**Flag**

Ichigo's face fell the moment he entered the Tenth Division's administrative office. He was glad that he finally had a break long enough to spend some time in the Soul Society, but the dark cloud that he found in the Tenth's office was enough to break his good mood. Toushiro was sitting at his desk, as usual Rangiku was nowhere to be found, but instead of scribbling at a pile of papers he was staring off into space, his cheek was propped in one hand, and his fingers dug into his temple. His mouth was set in a grim line, and his scowl held a tinge of... could it be sadness? Ichigo paused at the doorway for a minute just to stare at the odd sight.

"Hey, Toushiro, what's wrong?" he asked softly, going up to the desk.

Toushiro blinked as if just noticing Ichigo and tried to pull on his default scowl but failed. "It's Captain Hitsugaya. What are you doing here, Kurosaki?"

"I had free time," Ichigo answered, "but what happened? You look sad."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow, "It's none of your business."

"So you are sad," Ichigo said as he perched himself on the desktop and looked down at Toushiro. The _shingami_ captain pushed his chair back slightly and leaned against the backrest. "Come on, you can talk to me; we're friends."

Toushiro sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. "One of my men passed away."

Ichigo frowned slightly; the _shinigami_ occupation had a higher death rate than most. Soldiers died all the time; it was sad, yes, but something they expected, or at least were used to. He knew there had to be more to the story, so he was silent until Toushiro spoke again.

"He was about to retire; we met a few times to get the paperwork sorted out. He was old, possibly older than Yamamoto, he didn't stand out, and had held an unseated position for his entire duration as a _shinigami_." Toushiro paused and a deep frown set into his face. "He died a few days ago, in his room, no one noticed. We only found the body because his neighbours were complaining about a bad smell, and he hadn't shown up for duty in a while."

"That's pretty... shitty," Ichigo said, wincing.

Toushiro snorted softly. "It's unfair, that's what it is. This man spent his entire life as a soldier – he was two weeks from retirement goddamnit – then he dies and nothing. He's just _gone_. I know how much work he put into his job and all of that is just gone up in smoke. He's not going to be remembered by anyone, no one's listed as his next-of-kin, it even took us almost a week to find his body. He was dedicated, a good man, and a good soldier, and now there's just... nothing, absolutely nothing."

Ichigo was silent.

Toushiro shook his head bitterly. "It disgusts me. I can't even thank him for his service; all that's left of him is a bunch of words on a stupid document."

Ichigo had no idea what to say to comfort the small _shinigami_. He placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "I'm sorry," was all he could say, but it didn't sit right on his tongue.

...

Each of the Divisions had flag posts in the centre of their main courtyards. It was for identification purposes as the flags were marked with the divisions' insignia and stood higher than most of the surrounding buildings. They mostly went unobserved, however, as just another decoration. So, when Ichigo was found lowering the Tenth Division's flag to half-mast he stirred up quite a bit of attention.

"What are you doing, Kurosaki," Toushiro groused, walking up to him. He had been notified by one of the division members who had passed Ichigo by not too long ago.

Ichigo faced the small captain with a straight back and a grim face. "I don't know how it works here, but in the World of the Living when a soldier dies flags are lowered to half-mast to show mourning and respect."

Toushiro's eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped slightly.

The redhead turned to the sizable crowd that had gathered around the flag post and took a deep breath. He projected his voice so everyone would hear him clearly. "Five days ago the soldier Ryusuke Sendai passed away. He had dedicated his entire life in service of the _Gotei_ Thirteen, so the flag will remain at half-mast for the day to honour his passing and to thank him for his service."

He saw Toushiro give him a small nod before he turned around to head back to the office. Ichigo followed him a short while later after he sent the lowered flag one last look.

"Thank you, Kurosaki," Toushiro said as he entered the office.

"Every man plays a part, right? People should at least know his name."

The corners of Toushiro's mouth flickered upwards.

(A/N: I'm not sure if people in the Soul Society can die of old age. There's supposed to be a balance between the World of the Living and the soul society, so if people didn't die in the Soul Society wouldn't that cause some sort of imbalance between the two worlds? Spiritual backup of some sort maybe? Just food for thought.)

**Space**

Most couples had a routine or special ways to go about one another; Ichigo and Toushiro were no different. They had just taken the step of moving in together, well Ichigo had gotten a small apartment and insisted the Toushiro move some of his stuff into it so it didn't look so empty. Toushiro did spend all of his free time with his boyfriend, so he didn't see any problem in leaving some of his clothes and other necessities with him.

Soon they fell into a sort of weekend routine. Toushiro would leave work as early as he could on Friday and wait by Ichigo's apartment door until the redhead got off work at Karakura General Hospital, where he was interning (Ichigo gave him a key around two weeks later). Then they would either make dinner and settle down to watch a movie, or go out to eat and spend the night talking about the past week. Saturday and Sunday were dealt with in the same fashion. They would laze around the apartment, recuperating from their stressful week and enjoy each other's company.

Routines were comfortable; they understood routines.

However, Ichigo's job at the hospital soon got more demanding and they both discovered that the redhead did not handle stress very well. He was used to being busy and having to sacrifice his free time, but as he began to juggle both his job as a substitute _shinigami_ and a surgical intern things began to slip through his fingers. Toushiro noticed how frazzled his boyfriend was getting almost instantly; he snapped at him over the simple questions of what he wanted for dinner. Toushiro didn't take anything Ichigo said personally, especially when he was in this state, but when Ichigo all but lost it later that night he knew that he had to take a couple steps back.

"I keep on telling you not to move my stuff," Ichigo growled as he shuffled through a pile of text books and binders.

Toushiro watched as the living room was turned into a battleground of papers. "I didn't touch your stuff," he defended, "What are you looking for?"

Ichigo ignored him in favour of complaining loudly and he shook one of the textbooks for any loose papers. "No, you always go about 'tidying'. I have a system here,"

"Obviously not if you can't find anything," Toushiro snapped.

Ichigo growled in frustration and flung the textbook across the room. It missed Toushiro's shoulder by a mere foot landed behind the couch with a loud thump and crinkle of papers. Then, to seal the deal, Ichigo's substitute badge starting making a loud wailing noise, alerting him to a hollow's presence. He swore loudly and reached for the badge.

"No, you don't," Toushiro barked, pushing him away. "I'll deal with this; you just stay here and finish your research or whatever."

A flustered Ichigo was not a friendly Ichigo. He scowled at his boyfriend and grabbed his badge. "I can handle this."

"Obviously not," Toushiro growled, popping a _gikongan_ into his mouth and shedding his _gigai_.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I can see how stressed out you are and I'm giving you a break."

"I'm not stressed out," Ichigo almost shouted, "why does everybody keep on saying that?"

"I can hear you grinding your teeth from over here. Look, Ichigo, I'm trying to help you, so you won't end up pulling out your hair."

The redhead stood up and pressed the badge to his chest. He was forced out of his body with a jolt and he glared at Toushiro as he jumped to the window sill. "I don't need you trying to pick up any of my slack. I said I could handle this and I will."

"Stop being stupid, Kurosaki, you're wearing yourself thin-"

"Don't touch anything while I'm out."

Toushiro narrowed his eyes at Ichigo's parting words and balled his hands into fists. He understood that Ichigo wasn't himself at the moment and he would _always_ fight tooth and nail to do everything by himself. Still, he did not appreciate being spoken to and treated like he was a nuisance. He glared at the mess his boyfriend left behind then to their cold dinner that was set out on the kitchen table. Ichigo was pissy and, in turn, made Toushiro pissy. It would not be long until they got into a real argument and more than likely say things they shouldn't. He would have liked to talk things out with the redhead and calm him down, but he was getting wound up and didn't trust himself to be calm if he had to reason with Ichigo. It would be best to give his boyfriend some space for the night, if not the rest of the weekend.

He left a message on Ichigo's phone saying that he'd go back to the Soul Society until they both calmed down enough to have a reasonable conversation. It felt strange sleeping in his own bed that night. He kept on rolling over expecting to hit a large, warm body but was met with empty sheets each time. Ichigo texted him the next morning, apologising for how he acted last night, but also agreed that it would be wise of them to spend the weekend apart.

The next Friday, as soon as he opened the apartment door, he was enveloped in a pair of sinewy arms and pulled into a warm, heavily muscled chest. Toushiro sighed softly and returned the hug. They remained in each other's arms for a few minutes before Ichigo pulled away and pressed a kiss to Toushiro's lips.

"I'm sorry," he said when they broke apart.

Toushiro shook his head, "It's fine; I know how you get when you're stressed."

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck guiltily. "It was a little boy, no one could figure out what was wrong with him and I was scared if we took too long he might have died on us. Still, I shouldn't have taken it out on you..."

"No, you shouldn't have," Toushiro agreed, "You need to learn to separate yourself from your work a bit. That type of thing is going to happen a lot in the hospital, and you can't afford to play with your health each time. I wanted to help you out last weekend, but you pushed me away."

Ichigo sighed, "I know, I was stupid. I'll try my best the next time."

"No, not stupid, just dedicated and too stubborn and determined for your own good," Toushiro said and stared at his boyfriend for a moment before chuckling a bit. "But now I can tell that you've had a rough week and a warm bath sounds like a good idea."

**Ribbon**

Toushiro toyed with the string bowtie that Ichigo had fastened around his neck. It was really nothing more than a length of ribbon and Toushiro did not understand why he had to wear a _ribbon_ around his neck. Ichigo glared at him out of the corner of his eye and gently batted Toushiro's hand away from his collar. Toushiro huffed in annoyance and glared at his fiancé.

"Stop playing with it," Ichigo sighed as he tightened a grey tie around his neck and smoothed out his dress shirt.

"I don't like it."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You only have to bear with it for a few hours."

"It's suffocating."

"Would you rather a regular tie?"

"I would rather no tie."

Ichigo folded his arms across his chest. "Shiro..."

The small _shinigami_ sighed and tugged at his bowtie one last time. "I know, I know. You humans and your weird clothes... I'm not wearing one of these for our wedding."

"Oh, yes, you are," Ichigo chuckled and stooped down in front of him, "Look, you've made it crooked now."

He untied the bow around Toushiro's neck and quickly re-tied it with smooth, gentle movements. "There," he said when he was done. He smoothed the ends of the ribbon then rested his hands on Toushiro's hips as he looked up and smiled.

"I know you don't like it, but you look very handsome."

Toushiro blushed slightly. Ichigo gently squeezed his hips then stretch up a bit to kiss him on his lips. Toushiro placed his hands on Ichigo's forearms and placed his forehead against Ichigo's when they broke apart.

"You don't look too bad yourself," he mumbled.

Ichigo grinned and stood up. Toushiro hated wearing suits, he hated tight things around his neck even more, but he had to admit that these modern clothing designs really did accentuate the body. Ichigo's slim cut pants hugged his hips and thighs perfectly and gave the illusion that his legs were at least a foot longer than they already were. While the jacket, that he had just slipped on, highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Toushiro couldn't help but stare as Ichigo examined himself in the mirror one last time.

"You know, for someone who doesn't like suits you sure do stare a lot whenever I wear one." Ichigo chortled when he caught him staring.

Toushiro shrugged and felt himself blush yet again. "Shut up."

Ichigo grinned. "I like it when you stare."

"_Shut up_."

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><p><strong>This prompt set was donated by Corisanna :)<strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed them. **

**Feel free to leave a review or donate a few prompts as you go. **

**-Mymomomo**


	3. From Kurgaya

**Investigate**

"You're not as stealthy as you think you are."

"..."

"It was easy to tell what you were planning, right off the bat."

"...That's not true."

"You act weird when you're keeping secrets."

"I do not."

"Ask Rangiku."

"... Shut up, Kurosaki."

**Motion**

Ichigo loved watching Toushiro train, for obvious reasons, of course. They were dating, after all, and he had every right to stare at his boyfriend. If winter was a person it would have been Toushiro. He was cold and powerful – a little bit frightening – but utterly beautiful. He moved as if he was a gale of wind; quickly, weightless, and hypnotising; spiralling in absolute control. Ichigo listened to the soft patter of his tiny feet and the song of his blade as it swung through the air. Toushiro's body twisted gracefully; his motions were fluid as he moved through the steps of a tuneless dance.

When Ichigo jumped in, he was met with a look of surprise but it was quickly chased away by a smirk and a flash of wintry eyes. Ichigo quickly learnt the moves of his dance and they both spun and slid across the training ground until their limbs ached and their bodies were covered in sweat.

**Choice**

"Mac and cheese or pancakes?" Ichigo asked.

"That's an odd combination..." Toushiro said with a raised eyebrow.

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. "I forgot to go grocery shopping yesterday. All we have are three boxes of mac and cheese and pancake mix."

Toushiro sighed softly and shook his head. "I don't know; you pick."

"It's a matter of which one will cook the fastest..."

"Are you that hungry?"

"... Don't you remember what we did last night?"

Toushiro snorted. "Mac and cheese isn't really a breakfast food."

"Ugh, that means I have to get out the frying pan."

"You can't be that lazy."

"I am."

"Is this a ploy to get me to cook for you?"

"Would you?"

Toushiro considered this for a while then nodded. "Mac and cheese or pancakes?"

**Bucket**

Toushiro really didn't know why he had agreed to do this. It was a rhetorical question; he already knew the answer and would like to pretend that he didn't. _But_ it was because he could not refuse that dumb boyfriend of his anything. That redheaded moron had somehow wormed his way into the deepest, darkest corner of Toushiro's heart and happily made his nest there. And once he flashed those ridiculous, deep brown, doe eyes the _shinigami_ captain found himself trapped. He would have liked to think that this wasn't the reason why he had agreed to spend his Saturday washing cars with his dumbass boyfriend. He had nothing better to do that day, that's all.

Ichigo handed him a bucket of soapy water with a smile and a quick peck on the cheek. He grumbled as he dipped his sponge into the frothy water and began to slather the side of a car.

"Of all things, Kurosaki, why a car wash?"

Ichigo shrugged. "We put it to vote. I guess some of the guys really wanted to see the girl interns in something other than scrubs."

Toushiro rolled his eyes.

"You didn't have to come," Ichigo sighed.

"Don't be stupid," Toushiro snapped. He _had_ to do whatever Ichigo asked; refusing him was never even in the question.

**Avatar**

"Why does that... thing... look like me?" Toushiro asked, frowning at the computer screen as Ichigo started up his game.

"It's my character and I made him look that way."

"That would be a compliment if it wasn't so weird."

**Sojourn**

Getting lost had definitely not been on the itinerary for their honeymoon. Ichigo firmly believed that it was the language barrier that had gotten them stranded in the middle of the Bretange countryside. At least it looked like there was a small bed and breakfast up ahead. The small town of Carnac boasted 4,500 people, and was known for its beaches and camp grounds. They had completely missed their original destination, but thankfully the small, seaside town looked very welcoming.

The small bed and breakfast was run by a kind, old woman who took pity on them. Although she didn't speak much English, she took pity on them when Ichigo stumbled over his rudimentary French. Toushiro's was slightly better (only because he got the accent down) and they were able to explain their situation and get directions to their original destination. It was too late to travel by the time they had gotten things sorted out, so they paid for a room for the night.

Ichigo tumbled onto the bed as soon as he opened the door, exhausted from travelling and trying to make sense of all the French (his travel dictionary could only get him so far). He felt himself drifting off moments later then a harsh poke in his side.

He groaned and turned to face Toushiro.

"At least shower first. _Mauvais odeur*_."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "What do you expect? We've been travelling all day."

Still, he took a quick shower and passed out halfway through changing into his pyjamas.

Ichigo woke before the sun the next morning. Small hands were playing with his hair and he could feel the small bump of smooth metal against his scalp. He grinned and rolled over to face his husband.

"_Salut, Monsieur Kurosaki**_," he yawned.

Toushiro chuckled softly and brushed a stray lock of hair from Ichigo's forehead. "At least you're making an effort now."

Ichigo pulled him into a tight hug. "I was always making an effort; I just suck at French. Why did we choose _France_ for our honeymoon?"

"_You_ said it was romantic."

"You should know by now not to listen to me."

Toushiro chuckled again and pecked Ichigo on the lips. "There's a beach nearby, I want to go for a walk before our taxi gets here."

"Is that why you woke me up so early?"

Toushiro grinned. "_Peut-être***_."

They held hands as they walked along the sandy shore. The sun rose as they stared at the grey horizon. Although, the beach faced south they watched quietly as the sky changed colour. They sat on the cool sand, Toushiro on Ichigo's lap, with their hands tightly clasped together. Ichigo grinned once again as he felt the ring on Toushiro's finger and kissed the side of his neck.

"I still can't believe that all of this is real," he mumbled.

Toushiro hummed softly.

"We're _married_ and on our honeymoon in France. It all feels like a dream, doesn't it?"

Toushiro said nothing, but brought Ichigo's left hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against his knuckles.

"A good dream," he muttered against Ichigo's hand, "But one I won't have to wake up from."

"_Avez-vous apprécié la plage****_?" the guest house owner asked when they returned.

Toushiro gently squeezed Ichigo's hand and smiled widely. "_Oui_."

**Uproar**

The entire Tenth Division was in an uproar and the captain was nowhere to be found. It was because the captain was nowhere to be found that the division was in an uproar. His absence might have been exaggerated by Lieutenant Matsumoto who had assumed that he had been kidnapped and spread the tale across the Tenth. The captain had not come into work that morning and he hadn't been seen since yesterday afternoon. He hadn't left any notice as to where he would have gone and, since the only thing that kept him from work was incapacitating sickness, Lieutenant Matsumoto had checked his room. He wasn't home sick and she couldn't locate his _reiatsu_. Therefore, the only logical explanation was that he had been kidnapped. So, the seated members of the division had taken it upon themselves to find their captain, and soothe the Lieutenant who was hysterical at the prospect of having to do all the paperwork by herself.

The captain in question, of course, had no clue what was going on. It was his day off; his first in years, and he had wanted a little peace and quiet away from the commotion of his workplace. He had spent the night in the world of the living with his boyfriend, but had returned to the Soul Society earlier that morning and was lounging on the banks of a small river outside the _Seireitei_ walls, for once, completely relaxed. His head rested on his boyfriend's lap as he stroked his hair.

"You should take more time off work, Toushiro. You look prettier when you're not stressed."

"I'm not pretty."

"Deny it all you want, but I think you're beautiful."

Toushiro scoffed, "Shut up, Ichigo."

Ichigo hummed then bent down to peck Toushiro on the forehead. The small captain reached up to guide Ichigo's lips to his own and gently pressed their mouths together. He felt Ichigo smile into the kiss and shift positions so that he was hovering over him. He caressed the back of Toushiro's head with one of his hands while the other slowly trailed up and down his side. They shared a deep, slow kiss as Toushiro wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck, pulling them closer together. Ichigo's body was heavy on top of his but he didn't care and simply let his thighs fall to either side of Ichigo's hips. The redhead had also loosened the tie at his waist and had pulled apart the upper half of his _yutaka_, he didn't care about this either. All he cared about was the soft lips on his own and the fact that he and Ichigo had all day to –

"Captain Hitsugaya?"

Toushiro froze for a minute, praying that this was somehow not happening. He wanted to ignore the voice, but he slowly turned his head, wincing as recognised four seated members from his division. He shut his eyes for a minute and rubbed his forehead, all the while, trying to fight down the blush that was surely rising on his cheeks. Ichigo has also frozen, unsure what to do. He wore a deer-in-the-headlights expression and his gaze alternated between his boyfriend and the four _shinigami_. Toushiro eventually opened his eyes and pushed Ichigo off of him. He sat up and turned to face his men, only to have his _yutaka_ slide over one of his shoulders, exposing most of his torso. The blush he had been struggling to hold back barrelled through his defences and he felt his face begin to steam. He quickly yanked his _yutaka_ closed and with as much dignity he could muster – which, at this point, was very little – faced the soldiers.

"Did you need something?" he asked.

The _shinigami_ gave each other embarrassed looks and two of them shifted uncomfortably.

"No, sir, we were just looking for you. No one knew where you were, and we were all worried."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow before uttering a deep sigh. "Thank you for your concern, but it was my day off; you didn't have to worry. Didn't Matsumoto tell you this?"

They exchanged another look.

Toushiro sighed again. "I can't leave that woman alone for a second," he grumbled. "When you get back to the division tell Matsumoto, the next time she decides to call code red check the calendar first."

"Yes, sir." They turned to leave. "Oh, and congratulations, sir."

Toushiro covered his face with his hands when they left and let out a distressed groan. Ichigo wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gently pecked him on his temple.

"It wasn't that bad, Shiro..."

"They caught us making out, of course it's bad. I'm their captain; I have to have an ounce of decorum at all times... My _yutaka_ fell open for gods' sakes."

"We could have been doing something much worse."

Toushiro scowled at his boyfriend.

"Besides, they told us congratulations. _And_, you have an amazing body; I'll bet you anything they didn't mind."

"Shut up, Ichigo."

The Tenth Division was in an uproar again, but this time for a completely different reason. The captain vowed he would never take another day off when he returned the next day and found his office full of sweet trinkets and well wishes for his and Ichigo's relationship.

***Sunburn **(This one somehow fell off the end of the list for the last chapter, so I stuck it in with this set)

Toushiro did not understand it at all; Ichigo was a redhead. Biologically, he should have burnt to a crisp whenever he set foot into the sun. But, no, he had to defy this logic too and tanned. His skin had turned into a beautiful golden-brown over the duration of the Kurosakis' annual summer beach trip. In fact, all of the Kurosakis took on a golden glow. By the time they were ready to return to Karakura town Toushiro almost believed that he was in the presence of a group of swimwear models from California. And to top it all off Ichigo had begun to freckle as well. Toushiro could deal with his boyfriend looking like a tropical god with skin that almost literally emitted the rays of the run, but not the tiny brown spots speckling his nose, cheeks, and even shoulders. He knew that his boyfriend was hot, but the freckles and the sun-kissed skin took things to a whole new level; a level that Toushiro decided that he was not quite ready for yet.

Toushiro was jealous at how freaking _handsome_ Ichigo was, and even more jealous that his skin didn't take to the sun. He burnt. It wasn't just any minor sunburn either; his entire body had turned red – not pink, not that weird salmon colour, but bright, lobster-freaking-red – and that was _after _he had slathered an entire bottle of sunscreen on. He did not understand it at all; he wasn't even the palest one there. Karin was at least three shades lighter than him and she had turned into a freaking lightly-toasted supermodel within the first couple of days. So, he sulked for the majority of the trip... when he wasn't rubbing his limbs with aloe vera and more sunscreen, and glowering his boyfriend, that is.

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><p><strong>I should be working on other things... other stories. But after this hectic week I deserve a short writing break, by short I mean five hours.<strong>

**Prompt set donated by Kurgaya ... and**** once again feel free to send me any prompts review or PM; I'm not picky. **

**In Sojourn I have Ichigo address Toushiro as Mr. Kurosaki, but I can't actually see Toushiro giving up his name. I think they would hyphenate, but having Ichigo say Hitsugaya-Kurosaki sounded less 'romantic'. Any thoughts? **

**Et mon Français est terrible, mais j'ai essayé**

***Mauvais odeur – You smell bad **

********Salut, Monsieur Kurosaki – Hey (informal hello), Mr. Kurosaki**

***** Peut-être – Maybe**

****** Avez-vous apprécié la plage?– Did you enjoy the beach?**

**-Mymomomo**


	4. From BlazeMary

**I'm still alive... just barely, but alive. **

* * *

><p><strong>Jealous <strong>

Some of Ichigo's friends from the hospital had dragged him to a club that Friday night, so, naturally, he had dragged Toushiro with him. Ichigo wasn't a big bar or club person; the music was always too loud and he wasn't a fan of hundreds of drunk, sweaty people pushing up on him. But, it had been a long few weeks at Karakura General Hospital and he had promised the other interns that he would go out with his friends to kick back a bit. He would have preferred to go out to dinner, or something quieter, but this was way cheaper, as his friends had so kindly pointed out. So, he begged his boyfriend to come with him and Toushiro – being the closeted sweet-heart that he was – caved in with minimal resistance.

"Are you wearing those pants?" Toushiro asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ichigo looked down at his dark-wash, skinny jeans; he didn't see anything wrong with them. "Yeah, why?"

Toushiro wrinkled his nose. "They're a bit tight, aren't they?"

He snorted softly. "You worried people will stare at me?"

"No, your face will turn anyone off."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious. Plus, you shouldn't be talking to me about tight pants when yours fit like a second skin. How did you even get into them?"

A pair of teal eyes rolling was his response.

The club was packed, as expected; Ichigo held Toushiro's hand tightly as they made their way through the crowd and directly to the bar. He needed to be tipsy, if not drunk, to deal with anything that happened that night. Toushiro slipped onto a stool next to where Ichigo leaned against the bar as he ordered two drinks.

"How long do you think we have to stay here?" Ichigo shouted, the music had already gotten on his nerves.

Toushiro shrugged. "They're your friends, not mine; you should know the answer to that."

Ichigo huffed as the bartender slid the two drinks over to him. He handed one to Toushiro and downed half of his in one gulp. The _shinigami_ stared at him with a slight raise to one of his eyebrows. Ichigo shrugged; he might as well try to enjoy the night right?

It took a bit more than one drink before he allowed himself to be pulled onto the dance floor by one of his friends, and another to get him to loosen up after that. At least the music wasn't completely terrible. He pulled Toushiro's hips against his and rolled them in time with the music, or not; he was past caring at this point and he wasn't a strong dancer to begin with. He really didn't care how he looked when another beer was shoved into his hands by one of his friends. He winked at him and disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared with a girl hanging off one of his shoulders. Ichigo chuckled at the bizarreness of this situation before taking a few large gulps from his beer. He spun Toushiro around to face him and ground their hips together. Toushiro went along with it, but eyed the beer in Ichigo's hand with a slight frown. The redhead grinned and handed the bottle to his boyfriend who took it with some hesitancy and finished what was left.

"How many was that?" the _shinigami_ shouted over the music.

Ichigo shrugged; he wasn't keeping track of his drinks, he probably should have been, but he couldn't remember. "Four or five."

Toushiro shook his head. "We should take a break for now."

Ichigo knew his boyfriend was a lightweight. He didn't drink much, if anything at all. So it usually took one drink to get him past tipsy. He usually called it in after two; he just didn't have the body mass to take well to alcohol. Ichigo thought it was adorable, of course.

Toushiro pulled him off the dance floor and over to one of the high tables that were set close to the walls. "Get some water," he instructed.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "'M not drunk," he said, but his tongue messed up his words, "besides I have to pee."

Toushiro snorted and Ichigo sloppily – because Toushiro kept on moving, not because his depth perception was off – pecked him on the temple as he left to find the bathroom. He did get a bottle of water from the bar, because after using the bathroom he realised how thirsty he was and just how badly his head had been buzzing. He cracked the seal open and he made his way back to Toushiro while taking a long sip. The cold water tasted like heaven, but when he lowered the bottle from his face and pushed through the outer ring of the crowd he stopped so suddenly that a few people bumped into him.

"Hey watch it, man," someone grumbled, but Ichigo ignored him and stared at the man who sitting across from Toushiro stirring his drink with a straw. He had on a tight, super-deep V-neck tee; it was white and almost see-through - Ichigo could make out a pair of impressive pecs and a hairless chest. His hair was impeccable, perfectly slicked back, and the hand that stirred his drink was neatly manicured. He was hot, or would have been hot it he wasn't hitting on Ichigo's boyfriend.

Toushiro had his chin propped up in one of his hands and was staring at the man with a small smile. Ichigo's stomach bubbled uncomfortably, not from the alcohol, and his chest twisted as an intense heat rose from his stomach to the top head. When the man reached out a heavily muscled arm to stroke Toushiro's shoulder Ichigo saw red.

He marched over to the table, glaring at the man for all he was worth. As soon as he was in arms reach he grabbed Toushiro's chin, forcing his gaze away from the man and crashed their lips together. If Toushiro was surprised he did not show it. He responded instantly by kissing back with such ferocity that Ichigo almost forgot about the man sitting across from them. He eyed him from over Toushiro's shoulder, satisfied that he left without any trouble.

"Who the hell was that?" Ichigo asked when he and Toushiro broke apart.

"Dunno," Toushiro shrugged.

"He was hitting on you."

"So? Doesn't mean I asked him anything."

"Why didn't you tell him to get lost?"

"Are you jealous?" Toushiro asked with a smile.

Ichigo glared.

"Gods ichigo. Why? Didn't you see him?"

"Didn't you?"

Toushiro laughed, "You should know by now that's not my type." He leaned in close and licked the shell of Ichigo's ear. "I like tall, tetchy, redheads with _massive_ _zanpakutos_."

Ichigo turned his head and pecked him on the lips. Only then did he realise that he tasted of fresh alcohol.

"Did that loser by you a drink?"

Toushiro grinned guiltily. "You were taking long and I needed something else to get through his flirting."

"We should get you home," he glanced at his watch, "I'll go round up the others, the club's closing soon anyway. Sit tight and try not to attract anymore weirdos, okay?"

"'M not gonna promise anything." Toushiro smirked.

"Behave, Shiro."

**Hair**

Toushiro loved Ichigo's hair. He loved the colour, the thickness, and how it stuck up in the mornings. He loved running his hands through the bright, silky strands when they lay in bed together or when Ichigo used his lap as a pillow. And, on special occasions, he even loved to shampoo Ichigo's hair when they showered together. He thought that Ichigo's hair made him even more special than he already was; he had yet to come across anyone else, besides Orehime, who was a natural redhead. Red hair, as it seemed, was very uncommon, especially in Japan. Still, Toushiro didn't share with Ichigo how much he liked his hair, but he long since suspected that he knew or either liked to have Toushiro play with it.

They had spent most of their Saturday lounging on the couch watching TV; a marathon of a popular cop drama was showing. Toushiro had spent the past week organising a new recon mission, so he was a bit worn out and didn't really want to do much that day. Ichigo was just content to be lazy. He was lying on his stomach with his head on Toushiro's lap while Toushiro buried his hands in Ichigo's hair.

"I'm thinking of getting it cut," Ichigo said suddenly.

Toushiro hummed in question.

"My hair, I've had the same look since high school. The guys at the hospital said it makes me look immature."

Toushiro frowned. "You're almost six feet tall, how the hell could you look immature?"

Ichigo shrugged and rolled onto his back. "What do you think?"

"About cutting your hair?"

He nodded.

"Well, I... I don't know..." he looked pointedly at the television screen.

"I wouldn't cut it too short, but they did have point, I mean most people won't take a doctor with bangs very seriously."

Toushiro shrugged. "You could always just brush it back."

Ichigo shook his head, his hair tickling Toushiro's bare thighs. "It's bad enough that I have red hair-"

"What's bad about you having red hair?"

"Everyone thinks it's bleached... not very professional if you ask me."

Toushiro huffed, "Well I like it. It suites you and any other colour would look stupid."

Ichigo chuckled; a light blush began to dust his cheeks. "What about cutting it though? You don't think it makes me look like a college student?"

"No, I just said I liked it, didn't I?" he reached down and brushed Ichigo bangs from his forehead. "Besides, I like being able to play with it, I don't know how I'd feel about short hair."

Ichigo grinned and his blush became more pronounced. "I'm not gonna shave it off," he muttered, "I just want something a bit neater." He pointed to an actor on the screen, "What about something like that?"

Toushiro snorted. "Not at all."

Ichigo huffed and nuzzled Toushiro's stomach, "Stop making this so difficult. Just because you have the hair of a movie star... we're not all that lucky."

It was Toushiro's turn to blush. "N-no... that style would just make you look old. Short hair would age you by, what, ten years."

"No it wouldn't. What if I did the thing with the sides shorter than the top?"

Toushiro frowned slightly, picturing it. "I don't know..."

"Well, if it looks terrible I can always grow it back."

Toushiro sighed, but he still went with Ichigo to the barber's the following week. He watched with an uneasy stomach as clumps of orange hair feel to the ground and refused to raise his eyes to see the damage that Ichigo's head was taking. How would he be able to live if he couldn't run his fingers through Ichigo's hair, what if it didn't stick up in the mornings anymore? He had to keep on reminding himself that it was only hair; Ichigo would still be the same person. This would change nothing –

"What do you think, Shiro?" Ichigo asked.

Toushiro heard the squeak of the chair as Ichigo spun to face him. He slowly raised his head and his breath caught in his throat. Ichigo did end up doing the thing 'where the sides were shorter than the top'. It didn't make him look older, per say, but definitely more mature and – dare he say it – hot. It was neat, but just messy enough that he didn't look like a corporate businessman and Toushiro was a bit relieved that the overall length hadn't suffered too terribly (especially when he realised later that night that the shorter bits felt very much like smooth velvet). He could say, without a doubt, that Ichigo was the hottest man he had ever laid eyes on.

"Not too bad, right?" Ichigo asked with a grin.

Toushiro snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm going to be blunt with you, Ichigo. It's going to take some time to warm up to."

"Really?" Ichigo's grin fell slightly.

"But I like it. A lot."

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><p><strong>Drunk Toushiro is very horny ;) and that style where 'the sides are shorter than the top' seems to be a trend with guys now a days. I personally can't picture Ichigo with anything other than his orange mop, but for the sake of the prompt... <strong>

**This set was donated by BlazeMary (sorry I took so long). **

**As always please review and tell me what you thought. Also if you'd like to donate any prompts either drop them off in a review or a PM.**

**-Mymomomo**


	5. From Ohisashi

**I'm doing prompts in quick time... kinda. Because Hell Month, aka finals, is starting soon and I don't want my writing hanging over my head making me feel guilty.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Bed Time<strong>

"This is the third time in a row, Shiro," Ichigo fumed, as he paced around the Tenth Division's main office. "You can't keep on doing this."

Toushiro tiredly rolled his eyes. "I don't do it on purpose. You think I like sleeping at my desk?"

Ichigo scowled at him. "I'm giving you a bed time."

"What?"

"If you're not home by 9 o'clock then I'm coming to get you."

**T.V. Shows**

"Ichigo, I'm not watching that rubbish," Toushiro growled, folding his arms across his chest and pressing himself further into the couch.

"Come on, please? It's the season finale, I can't miss it!" Ichigo pleaded and tried to grab the remote from Toushiro's crossed hands.

"I don't care. You know I don't like soap operas."

"It's not a soap opera! And if I don't watch it tonight everyone will spoil it for me at work tomorrow."

"Oh, poor baby."

"Shiroooo," Ichigo whined and pulled his best puppy dog face. "We can watch whatever you want afterwards."

Toushiro sighed heavily and Ichigo beamed like a fluorescent light bulb. Toushiro always sighed before he gave in.

"Fine." He held over the remote. "Don't say we never do what you want to."

Ichigo pecked him on the cheek before he flipped the channel to his show. It was just starting, so the two made themselves comfortable. Toushiro lay down with his head on Ichigo's lap and Ichigo propped his feet up on the coffee table.

Half an hour later Toushiro was ready to grudgingly admit that the show wasn't that bad. He could see why Ichigo was so addicted to it.

"That's it?" he asked, "They're just going to end it there? What the hell, did Julian die or not?"

Ichigo didn't answer.

"Ichigo?" Toushiro pushed himself up to glare at his boyfriend, "You did not fall asleep, you idiot."

Ichigo's head was thrown against the back of the couch. His mouth was wide open and his breathing was deep and even. Toushiro rolled his eyes.

"I could have changed this garbage any time I wanted," he grumbled. "Hey, wake up. You'll damage your neck if you sleep like this."

**Birthday**

Ichigo's birthday was a week away. All of his friends and family were running around planning a surprise birthday party for him. Somehow Toushiro was left out of the commotion. He didn't mid at first, but he soon realised that he had no idea what to get his boyfriend as a present. He felt especially guilty because Ichigo always gave the most thoughtful gifts.

He had wracked his brain for over a month, but he couldn't think of one thing that seemed appropriate for his boyfriend. So, he kept on putting it off, until Ichigo's birthday was upon him and he still didn't have a present.

Toushiro woke up early the day of Ichigo's birthday and slipped quietly to the Soul Society before his boyfriend rolled out of bed. Ichigo tried to call him a few times but he let the calls go to voice mail. He couldn't possibly face his boyfriend and tell him that he had nothing to give him. With any luck Ichigo would think that he was just busy that day. However, he could not avoid the redhead all day; he had to go to the party later that night.

Toushiro tried his best to avoid Ichigo at the party as well. Once the initial shock from the surprise had worn off, he saw Ichigo making his way over to him. He hightailed it to the opposite side of the room, pretending not to notice his boyfriend and began talking to a conveniently placed Karin. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Ichigo's shoulders slump and he wondered off. Toushiro felt something collapse inside his chest. He continued dodging Ichigo for the remainder of the night. It became slightly easier when Ichigo seemed to realise that he was avoiding him and stopped trying to tail him. He could still feel brown eyes glaring holes into his back, however. Toushiro tried his best to ignore him, but his guilt from not getting Ichigo a present was now mixed with guilt from evading him. He should have at least told him 'happy birthday', but now it would be way too awkward if he tried.

Around two hours before the party was supposed to end he slipped away, unable to take Ichigo's glares or the twisting of his stomach anymore. He would have to explain himself eventually, he knew, but he could not think of how to tell Ichigo that he wasn't thoughtful enough to get him a gift. At his and Ichigo's apartment Toushiro sat down on the couch with his head in his hands. He knew he was a terrible boyfriend; he couldn't even come up with something as simple as a birthday present. Ichigo was sure to feel slighted, cheated even. He sighed heavily and tried his best to come up with an excuse, however, hours later, when the front door jingled and Ichigo stepped through the threshold he still hadn't thought of anything.

Toushiro heard Ichigo's footsteps enter the apartment and stop in front of him. He refused to lift his head and his cheeks flushed in shame. He gripped handfuls of his hair and sunk further into the couch. The apartment was dead silent for an excruciatingly long time. Then Ichigo spoke.

"What's the matter?"

Toushiro froze for a minute and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out besides a choked breath.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Toushiro cursed his boyfriend for being so selfless. Of course _he_ was fine! He had ignored Ichigo all day and the redhead still had the audacity to be concerned about him. Toushiro clenched his jaw and slowly raised his head. Of course Ichigo's eyes were full of worry, of course his expression held no contempt. Toushiro's guilt was multiplied by ten.

"Shiro, are you sick? Does anything hurt?"

He took a deep breath. "I didn't get you anything." He looked away once he said it.

Ichigo was silent for a few seconds. "What?"

Toushiro swallowed. "For you birthday, I didn't get you a present."

Ichigo was silent again. "Are you serious? _That's_ why you were avoiding me?"

"I... I..."

A tense minute passed before Ichigo started to laugh. Small chuckles bubbled from his chest before he was practically bawling with laughter. Toushiro blinked and finally looked directly at his boyfriend.

"Why are you laughing?"

Ichigo tried, and failed, to collect himself. "'Cause you thought that was such a big deal. I know everyone else puts a lot of emphasis on giving gifts, but I couldn't care less, honestly. I would have been happy to just spend the day with you."

"Huh?"

Ichigo shook his head and sat down next to Toushiro, pulling him into his chest. "I didn't expect you to get me anything; I know I'm a hard person to buy gifts for. And I'm not so materialistic that I would have gotten mad at you for not getting me a present."

Toushiro hung his head. "But you always get me stuff, thoughtful stuff, and I feel like I don't know you at all."

Ichigo smiled, "We've only been together for like four months; you don't need to put so much pressure on yourself."

Toushiro sighed, "I'm sorry. I should have known you wouldn't care, and I ruined your birthday because of it."

"Mmm, you still have roughly forty minutes to make it up." Ichigo glanced at his watch.

"How could I possibly make it up?"

Ichigo raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm sure you can think of _something_."

Toushiro blushed slightly. "Only because it's your birthday."

**Manga**

"No, that doesn't count as a book. Why? Because there's more pictures than words. Well congratulations; you're twenty-three and read picture-books."

**Games**

Toushiro liked the Kurosaki Monthly Game Night (TM) for many reasons. For one; they were such a close-knit family that anyone would have been swayed by their loud, awkward charm. Admittedly, when Ichigo had first made him join in he was a bit nervous; he wasn't part of the family and he felt like he was intruding. All his fears had been for naught, however, when he found out that Ichigo's father was Isshin Shiba; his former captain. And from then on he was part of the family in all but name, however, even that had been changed a few months ago.

The game of the night was _Pictonary_ and team Ichigo and Isshin were losing terribly. Toushiro was content to be the score keeper that night. Everyone had protested against him and Ichigo being a team since they were married, because they had an 'unspoken connection'. Yet, Karin and Yuzu were twins _and_ on the same team. There was no arguing with Kurosaki logic.

"No! It's not a doughnut!" Ichigo exploded once the timer had run out and his father had guessed doughnut eight times, "How the hell does that look like a doughnut?"

The redhead was getting a bit too into the game, but seeing as how Karin and Yuzu were almost ten points ahead of them, Toushiro could understand his distress.

"Are you blind, moron?" Ichigo slammed his pencil against the coffee table. "This is the worst team ever; you are the worst teammate ever!"

Karin was snickering into her soda while Yuzu watched on with an amused smile. Isshin pouted and suddenly he was on the couch next to Toushiro, hugging him like a frightened child.

"Shirooo, Ichigo's being mean to me," he whined.

"Oh, don't go to him!" Ichigo yelled, exasperated.

Toushiro chuckled softly and extracted himself from Isshin's grip. "It's not nice to be a tattletale, Isshin."

"When will you start calling me Papa?" Isshin asked suddenly.

Karin snorted loudly and Yuzu rubbed her forehead muttering a soft 'Oh Dad.'

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "How about never."

Isshin turned to Ichigo with an agitated look.

"Oh stop it, Dad, you're a grown man; not a toddler," Ichigo huffed, "Besides that one's on you."

He then ran to the giant poster of his late wife. "My sweet Masaki, why are our sons so mean to me?"

There was a simultaneous groan all around.

* * *

><p><strong>Prompt set donated by Ohisashi :)<strong>

**Leave any prompts, comments, or queries in a review please :) **

**-Mymomomo**


	6. From Corisanna II

**Mercy**

"Ichigo, Stooop!" Toushiro howled, clutching his sides and backing into a corner of the bedroom.

"Hush, do you want the neighbours to hear?" Ichigo growled as he advanced on his boyfriend.

"No, I swear, Kurosaki, you stay right there. Don't – NO!"

Ichigo pounced. He tackled Toushiro, causing them both to fall to the floor, but he put a hand behind Toushiro's head, so he wouldn't bang it on the hardwood, and pinned his chest with the other.

Toushiro struggled fruitlessly. "Ichigoooo," he whined, "Stop it. No, please, don't!"

Ichigo smiled sadistically and raised a hand, wiggling his fingers menacingly. "You asked for this."

Toushiro's eyes widened and he tried to twist out of Ichigo's grasp, but the redhead held firm and began to tickle his sides relentlessly. Peals of laughter bubbled from Toushiro's chest and he tried to fend off Ichigo's destructive fingers.

"Gods, Ichigo, stop!" he gasped in between bouts of laughter, "I can't breathe, stop!"

Ichigo was unremitting. "Not until you apologise."

Toushiro squirmed, gasping for breath, but crying with laughter simultaneously. His face was red and tears leaked from his eyes. "Stooop, pleeease!"

"Apologise."

He tried to cover his stomach and sides with his arms but Ichigo moved to his neck and armpits to counter. "Ichiiiigoooo, I'm going... to wet... myself! Stop!"

"Say you're sorry."

"Gah, fine, I'm sorry! I- I'm sorry for... for insulting your...manga. Now let me up... I'm seriously going to pee myself!"

Ichigo grinned and sat back on his heels. "See that wasn't so hard."

Toushiro sprang to his feet and sprinted to the bathroom. "I hate you!" he yelled back.

"Be thankful I'm merciful. I didn't have to let you up."

"I'm going to burn all your stupid picture books."

"Are you ready for round two?"

**Silhouette**

It had been a training accident, a simple accident. No one had intended for something so detrimental to have happened. Or at least that's what Rangiku had told Ichigo over the phone. She also told him that he had better come to the Soul Society to see the damage for himself. He wasn't quite sure how to take that bit of news.

When he was directed to the Fourth, Ichigo's heart started to race, and his lunch threatened to launch itself from his stomach. Captain Unohana led him to a private ward and softly explained the situation in its entirety. One of the unseated members of the tenth, with a poison based _zanpakuto_, had lost control of his _shikai_. It wasn't uncommon for that to happen as majority of the new recruits tended to figure out their _shikai_ while training. However, the poison had taken the form of a gas and had spread out through the training dojo in a matter of seconds. It was colourless and odourless; no one had noticed anything until their eyes began to sting. Toushiro, who had been heading the training session at the time, instructed everybody to leave at once and stayed behind to seal the room, lest the gas escape and do any more damage. Captain Unohana had personally seen to all the injured soldiers and had to counteract the effects of the poison with advanced healing kido. It had been a very corrosive gas; small burns had risen up on the soldiers' skin and they had complained about blurry vision and burning in their lungs. Toushiro had insisted that she saw to all his men before attending to him and, as a result, had suffered the worst effects from the poison. However, she had emphasised that his injuries were not permanent.

Ichigo knocked gingerly on Toushiro's door and heard him grant him entrance. Ichigo stepped inside and shook his head slowly. Toushiro was lying in bed with his head resting against the headboard. Thick bandages were wrapped around his eyes and his skin was pink and irritated in small patches.

"Ichigo?" the small captain asked softly, "is that you?"

He flared his _reiatsu_ a bit in response.

"I thought so; you're better at controlling it now."

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Toushiro sighed, "I'm fine. I really don't have to stay in bed, but without my vision this is probably the best option for everyone."

"You really can't see?" Ichigo asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down at the bedside.

"Not a thing or at least I couldn't when Unohana was tending to me."

"She said it wasn't permanent."

"I know."

He took Toushiro's hand in both of his and gently brought it to his lips. Toushiro pulled his hand away.

When Lieutenant Kotetsu removed Toushiro's bandages, Ichigo insisted that he be in the room. It wasn't a pretty sight; Toushiro's eyelids were an angry red and puffy, his eyes were bloodshot and cloudy. Ichigo couldn't prevent himself from hissing.

"Is it that bad?" Toushiro asked.

Lieutenant Kotetsu shook her head before realising and wincing at her actions. "No sir, you seem to be healing nicely. Can you see anything?"

"No."

Ichigo leaned over and patted his thigh gently. Toushiro pushed his hand away.

A week later showed some improvement. Toushiro's eyes had cleared up significantly, but he still couldn't see enough to move around safely.

"I can see lights and darks," he explained in annoyance when Ichigo waved his hand in front of his face, "waving your fingers around that that doesn't do anything."

"Oh, what if I hold it still?" Ichigo asked holding his palm up. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Toushiro clenched his jaw. "I. Don't. Know."

Ichigo sighed softly, "Sorry, just trying to help..."

Toushiro brought a hand up and rubbed his temples. "I know. I know. I didn't mean to snap, it's just..."

"Don't worry, Shiro. You'll get better in time."

Ichigo didn't intend to spend the night curled up next to Toushiro, but he woke the next morning with a terrible kink in his neck. He sat up, dropping his feet to the cold floor and stretched his arms over his head. The sun was rising and light leaked in through the drawn curtains along with a light breeze. He groaned softly as his shoulders finally popped and got up to open the curtains. As he tied back the heavy fabric he heard Toushiro stir.

"Morning," he grinned, turning around and leaning against the window still.

Toushiro blinked a couple of times and rolled over, following the sound of Ichigo's voice. He smiled slightly as the warm sunlight hit his face, his cloudy eyes perked up a bit.

"Morning."

Ichigo stepped towards the bed, intending to peck him lightly on the check, but Toushiro stopped him.

"No, stay there," he mumbled, "I can see you there."

Ichigo smiled widely. "How do I look?" he joked.

Toushiro chuckled slightly, "Well, you're a very handsome silhouette."

**Creep**

"Ichigo, you're such a creep,"

"What? Everyone has fantasies."

"I don't care; I'm not shaving my legs."

"I didn't say you had to, I just said it would be nice. You barely have hair on your legs as it is. Shaving would just make them soft and silky."

"...Why do you care so much?"

"I don't, well, not really. I just think it would feel nice, especially in bed."

Toushiro ended up shaving his legs.

**Album**

Had it really been five years? Ichigo asked himself as he stared at the photo album in his hands. He slowly flipped through the pages; a small smile appeared on his lips. He had gone through the pages, cover to cover and then back again. Then he looked up at his husband, his husband of five years, and pulled him into a deep kiss.

**Goal**

Ichigo picked Toushiro up by the armpits and spun him around when Karin scored the winning goal, allowing her team to make it into the finals.

**Sheer**

Toushiro hated summer because it was always so damn hot. At least in the World of the Living they had air conditioner but in the Soul Society he had no other option than to face the heat. So, he had a good reason for being grouchy when Ichigo said that he was going to spend three weeks with him at the Tenth.

"It's not that hot, Shiro," Ichigo sighed, patting the futon.

Toushiro winced; he could already feel beads of sweat forming on his back. He could not imagine spending the night next to his boyfriend. "I'll take the couch."

"Shiro, this is the third night you've refused to sleep in the same bed, never mind the same room, as me. If you don't sleep in this futon I'm going to follow you to the couch."

"Please don't." Toushiro sighed, "You know I'm sensitive to heat."

"We don't have to sleep with blankets. Come on, you're always working and we barely spend time together as it is."

Toushiro huffed, "Fine, but no snuggling, or I will sleep on the couch."

Despite saying that he still found himself wrapped in Ichigo's arms. He woke up in the middle of the night sweating profusely with a painfully dry throat, and he even felt light headed. He pushed Ichigo away from him and went to the couch.

"Well your sleeping _yukata_ is pretty thick," Ichigo noted the next night, "Well, for summer, at least. Don't you have anything lighter?"

Toushiro sighed, "No. This is it."

"You could let out a bit of your _reiatsu_; I'm sure that would cool things down."

"Yeah, if you want to wake up frozen solid. I need to keep it locked up while I sleep, or there's no telling if we'll wake up in a glacier or not."

"You could always sleep naked."

"No."

"At least until we get you something more sheer to sleep in."

"Absolutely not."

"I won't jump you, I promise."

"I doubt that will even work."

"It does, I swear. My AC broke once and I slept naked for like a week. It helps."

Toushiro relented after a bit more pestering, simply because he was desperate to abate, if partially, the heat.

"This feels so wrong," he muttered as he lay down to sleep.

"Don't worry; no one besides me is going to see you."

"Still feels weird."

It did work, but not enough. Toushiro still woke up sweating and dizzy. He groggily extracted himself from Ichigo's grip and made his way to the couch. He managed to fall into a fitful sleep and dreamt about Matsumoto climbing into his living room through the window.

"Captain, I didn't know you slept nude!"

Okay, it was _not_ a dream. Toushiro jolted awake, instantly grabbing one of the cushions to cover himself with. "What the hell are you doing here, Matsumoto!" he snapped, but as he spoke he could tell, even in the early morning light, that her cheeks were a bit flushed and she looked a little too happy.

"I was out with Captain Kyoraku and some others; you're place is closer than mine. Can I sleep here?"

"Yeah, sure, ask that _after_ you break in."

"Well can I?"

Toushiro groaned and rubbed his head. On one hand, he really shouldn't let her trample across the division while she was inebriated. On the other hand, she was staring at the cushion covering his crotch too intently for his liking.

"It's too early for this, Matsumoto," he growled, "Gods, take the couch."

"Yay! Thank you, Captain." she dove head first onto the cushions.

"Wait for me to get up first," he growled, "and don't look, damnit."

He took the cushion with him, but he could feel his lieutenant staring. If she wasn't drunk he would have thrown her out that moment.

"You have a nice butt, Captain. I see why Ichigo's dating you," she slurred.

He slammed the bedroom door shut a bit harder than he had intended to.

Ichigo was startled awake. "Whas goinon?" he asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Matsumoto's spending the night," Toushiro grumbled.

Ichigo blinked a few times, obviously trying to wake himself. "You're still naked."

"Really? I hadn't noticed. You and your bright ideas; why do I even listen to you?"

Ichigo was lucid enough to look guilty.

"Tomorrow you're going to find me suitable sleeping wear, or you're on the couch for the remainder of your time here."

**Debt**

"How can I pay you back?" Toushiro asked the substitute _shinigami_ after he had spent the whole day helping him organise paperwork and handle the new recruits.

Ichigo had just smiled. "Go on a date with me."

**Reunion**

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, his eyes going wide as he stared at the ghost of the person who should have been, quite literally, worlds away.

"I thought you'd be thrilled to see me."

"I am, but how? Why?"

"You know how, and why."

Ichigo swallowed thickly and his eyes started to prickle. "You know what will happen if you're found here."

"I do."

"Why did you come then?"

"_You know why._ The rules and consequences be damned; I love you."

Ichigo sprang up and clutched the small body tightly to his chest as if he was afraid that he wasn't real, that he would evaporate. Small, yet strong, arms were wrapped around his chest and he felt the brush of soft, thick hair against his neck.

"What will happen when you go back?" he asked.

"I don't intend to."

"We'll have to hide."

"As long as I'm with you."

**Drunk**

Ichigo had left for two minutes. _Two minutes_. Two minutes and his so-called friends had managed to get his boyfriend drunk. And not just drunk, completely plastered, hammered, wasted. Once Ichigo had taken up his previous seat on the couch Toushiro had gotten up from his card game on the ground and stumbled into his lap. Ichigo didn't think much of it at first; he knew Toushiro was a lightweight and had a few drinks during the game he had been playing. He also tended to be clingy when he was buzzed. So, Ichigo scooped the small _shinigami_ into his lap and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"Hey, Toushiro, you done?" one of Ichigo's friends asked pointing to Toushiro's abandoned hand of cards.

Toushiro didn't respond as he was too intent on wrapping his arms around Ichigo's neck and nibbling at his jaw. The first warning bell rang in Ichigo's head.

"Look at him; of course he's done."

"Told you guys he was a lightweight," Ichigo sighed, gently stopping the said boy from biting too hard.

"Tell me about it, barely even finished his drink."

Toushiro nuzzled into the side of Ichigo's neck and drew his attention from his friends when he began to suck and bite his skin. "Ichigo," he whined breathlessly, "I need you."

The second bell went off. He gently removed Toushiro from his neck and rubbed his back, "I know, baby, I'm here."

"I _need_ you," he insisted, moving clumsily to straddle Ichigo's lap.

"Toushiro," Ichigo mumbled warningly as his friends began to snicker. "What did you drink?"

"Ichigo," the _shinigami_ moaned, running his hands along his body, "I need you now."

"Toushiro, stop; you're drunk." Ichigo prevented him from taking off his shirt.

"I need you." He freed his hands and went straight to unfasten his jeans.

"Nope. No," Ichigo peeped, grabbing his hands again, "none of that here, Shiro."

"But-" he seemed to forget what he was saying and blinked in confusion.

"Alright you bastards what did you give him-"

Ichigo was cut off when Toushiro gagged.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, scooping his boyfriend up and racing to the bathroom. He made it just in time and Toushiro retched into the toilet.

He heard a few snickers from the other room.

"It's not funny, assholes. I told you he's a lightweight. What the hell did he drink?"

"Shin's special mix, but don't worry he barely finished it."

Ichigo ran a hand over his face. "You idiots, that has like six shots in it! What do you mean barely?" he had to stop Toushiro from falling forward into the bowl.

"He only drank like half."

"Nah, more like three quarters."

"You assholes; he's sixty-two pounds! Why did you let him drink that?"

They looked at one another and shrugged. "He said he was fine."

Ichigo frowned and looked down at his boyfriend. He had curled up on the ground as if in preparation to sleep. He sighed and propped him up against the wall. He recalled Toushiro with a bottle of beer when they first started the game. He knew that Toushiro knew his limits and he would never voluntarily go over them, unless... Ichigo sighed softly.

"Oh, Shiro." Of course, Toushiro would have tried to prove himself to Ichigo's friends, who could obviously drink way more than he could. And after just one beer, Toushiro tended to do things he normally didn't. He smoothed back a clump of hair from Toushiro's forehead and was handed a glass of water by one of his friends.

"Sorry, we didn't know he was going to get that messed up. You should probably take him home."

Ichigo held the glass to Toushiro's lips and prompted him to drink.

"Yeah, I that'd be a good idea." He hoisted Toushiro up and held him against his shoulder. Toushiro nuzzled against his neck.

"We should do this again sometime, Kurosaki," his friend called as he walked through the front door.

Ichigo flipped them off as he left.

**Mask**

Toushiro had expected the bone of Ichigo's hollow mask to be cold to the touch, but it was warm. It was just as warm as his skin, in fact, as if it truly was a part of his body.

"You're not afraid of me?" Ichigo asked. His voice mingled with his inner-hollow's to form an almost unnerving cacophony.

Toushiro rolled his eyes." Of course not, Kurosaki, you think I've never seen a hollow before?"

"You've never seen a _visored_ before..." he sounded a little sad.

Toushiro snorted and ran his fingers along the ridge of his jaw bone. "You're in control; I have no reason to be scared."

* * *

><p><strong>Prompt set donated by Corisanna :) <strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed it. Your comments are really appreciated. If you would like to donate any prompts drop them of in either a review or PM. **

**-Mymomomo**


	7. From ShiroStrawberry

**So, these prompts seem to be providing suitable relief from my school work since I don't have to think much when writing disconnected drabbles. So, Study break = writing time. **

* * *

><p><strong>Break up<strong>

"Oh, Captain, are you alright?" Rangiku cooed, wrapping Toushiro in a lung-crushing hug as soon as he stepped foot in the office.

Toushiro spluttered and managed to turn his head just in time to avoid being suffocated. "Let go of me, Matsumoto," he huffed.

Rangiku just hugged him tighter. "If you need anything, anything at all, I'm here for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't have to hide it, Captain, let it all out. I understand how it feels." She began to stroke his back.

Toushiro sighed. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Let what out?"

Rangiku slowly craned her neck back to look at him. "Didn't you and Ichigo break up?" she asked haltingly.

Toushiro's eyebrows rose and he pulled himself from her arms. "What?" he spat in outrage, "No, where did you hear that?"

Rangiku chewed the inside of her cheek and paled visibly. "Oh crap..."

That night, after doing his best to clear up the rumour – by chewing out anyone who dared enter his office to offer him consolation – Toushiro confronted Ichigo at the dinner table.

"Ichigo, we're alright, right?" he asked softly.

The redhead paused mid chew. "Huh?"

"I mean, us, our relationship." Toushiro set down his eating utensils and placed his hands in his lap.

Ichigo swallowed and cocked his head. "Yeah... I thought so. Why, what's wrong?"

Toushiro laced his fingers together. "The rumour that we broke up was going around and I would like to know where it started."

Ichigo scowled. "Why is everyone in the Soul Society so interested in us? I hope they're not like that with every couple. Or is it just because we're gay?"

"Ichigo."

The redhead sighed, "I dunno, I was talking with Renji and he asked about us. I told him that we've been arguing a bit more since we moved in together. I guess someone overheard us and things probably snowballed from there."

Toushiro looked glumly at his food. "We have been arguing a lot more, haven't we?"

"It's only because we moved in together; we're still figuring out how this works, Shiro. It doesn't mean I love you any less, or want to break up."

"I suppose..."

Ichigo sighed softly. "Come on it was just a rumour. Who are you gonna believe; me – your boyfriend –or someone you don't even know? You're stuck with me, Toushiro Hitsugaya, so learn to deal with it."

**Cheater**

Rangiku was scary, Ichigo decided. She rounded on him like a lioness and had him pinned to a chair by her gaze alone.

"If you ever cheat on him, if you ever hurt him in anyway, I don't care if you're a substitute _shinigami_ or a decorated war hero, I will _end_ you. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Ichigo squeaked.

**Meeting**

It came as a shock to everyone when Ichigo died. Contrary to popular belief, he had not gone out with a bang; he had, for an unknown reason, slipped away during his sleep. The doctors said it that his heart had given out, everyone knew that that was bullshit; Ichigo was one of the fittest people in Karakura town. Toushiro believed that Ichigo had simply wanted to stop aging, so he wouldn't be old and wrinkly while his husband looked like he was still in his twenties. He decided that forty-eight was as good as any age to go. He only had crow's feet around his eyes and his hair was still mostly orange.

Ichigo waltzed into the Tenth Division one rainy morning and plopped himself down on Toushiro's couch without so much as a greeting.

"I think it's time we finally discussed what division I should join," he said as he looked to Toushiro.

"Hmm? Why?" Toushiro asked, barely looking up from his paperwork.

"I have more free time now."

"Why is that?"

"I died."

Toushiro froze. A large ink splotch appeared on his paper as he slowly turned his head to glare at the redhead. "What was that?"

"Yeah. Woke up this morning next to my body and I couldn't get back in."

A long minute of silence passed.

"You don't have to look so shocked. We both knew that my situation was different than regular souls; my chain of fate was already broken." Ichigo shook his head.

"You can't just spring this on someone, Ichigo. You're dead?" Toushiro huffed, running a hand through his hair.

"It doesn't change anything."Ichigo shrugged.

"Are you joking? It changes everything."

Two days later was Ichigo's first formal meeting as one of the _Gotei_ Thirteen. He stood next to his husband as the captains discussed what was to be done with him. Technically he was strong enough to be a captain, but he had no training and knew nothing about how to run a division. They thought that the best course of action was to have him study under a current captain to learn the ropes. Now, they just had to decide which one.

Ichigo said firmly that he would not work with Captain Kurotsuchi, or Kenpachi for obvious reasons. He was not suited for a division such as the Ninth, Fourth, or Second. He was not keen on training under Shiniji again, and Ukitake was not in the best health. So that left Captains Kyoraku, Kuchiki, Komamura, Hitsugaya-Kurosaki, and Yamamoto.

"Well it's obvious we can't put him in the Tenth either," Captain Kurotsuchi said, wagging his finger.

Toushiro rolled his eyes; it was only a matter of time before someone brought it up. He would have broached the subject himself if Kurotsuchi hadn't been so quick.

"And why the hell not?" Ichigo asked fiercely.

Toushiro put a hand on his arm to calm him down. "We're too close," he explained, "It wouldn't be practical."

Ichigo sent him a look and he knew that they would be talking about this later. In the end it was decided that Ichigo would study under Captain Komamura. But, though the redhead was pleased with the outcome of the meeting, he was not very pleased with his husband.

"So, you don't want to work with me?" Ichigo asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Toushiro sighed softly as he shrugged off his uniform in preparation for bed. "It's not that I don't want to work with you, it's just that my judgement on you is skewered."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Toushiro sat down next to Ichigo on the futon. "We're married; in love, if you please. As much as I loathe admitting it, when it comes to you I don't always make the best decisions."

"What are you talking about? You're a freaking genius, Shiro; you always make good decisions-"

"What if we're on a mission, and I have to choose between you and something else? What if I end up compromising our entire situation just because I don't want to see you get hurt?"

Ichigo was silent for a while. "I doubt we would be going on any missions during my training."

"Okay, then how would I punish you, or act as your superior when I see us as equals?"

Ichigo picked at a loose thread on the sheet. "I guess that would be a bit strange, huh? You could just be harder on me than the other soldiers."

"But that wouldn't be fair, would it? I don't want to be your boss, Ichigo; we're a team."

The redhead sighed softly, but wrapped an arm around his husband and pulled him close. "Why do you always have to be right? I thought we would finally get to spend more time together."

Toushiro nuzzled into his chest. "Well, now you'll only be a few divisions away rather than an entire world. It's a step in the right direction."

**Wine**

"Ichigo, look at the prices; we can't afford this!" Toushiro hissed and shut his menu with a snap.

Ichigo grinned at his fiancé from across the table. "Let me worry about the price, Shiro."

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "How can I? We've been spending so much on the wedding."

"Let's forget about all the stress for a while, huh?"

Toushiro huffed, but picked up the menu again. "Even their salads cost the same as a down payment on a house," he grumbled.

"Stop worrying about it, babe. If we couldn't afford this, I wouldn't have brought you here. Now, do you want red or white wine?"

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "Water."

"Shiro."

"Neither."

"So what will you drink at the reception. When everyone has champagne, what will you be drinking?"

"Apple juice; I don't care."

Ichigo chuckled. "Let's start you off with the white."

**Formal **

"Isn't that your date getting all cosy with your brother, Karin?"

Karin Kurosaki folded her arms across her chest. This was around the eighth time she was being asked that question. Who cared what her date was doing? He was _her_ date and, therefore, no one else's concern. "Yeah, they are a couple after all."

"Oh that's... wait what?"

"Yes, I took my brother's boyfriend to the formal. Put it in the school newspaper for all I care."

"Why?"

Karin rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Because we're good friends, and Ichigo's chaperoning."

**Coming out**

"What is it you wanted to tell me, Ichigo?" Isshin asked.

Ichigo swallowed. Under the kitchen table, he grabbed Toushiro's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Dad... I'm..." Toushiro ran his thumb over his knuckles comfortingly and Ichigo took a deep breath, "I'm gay."

Isshin smiled gently. "I was wondering when you were going to tell me."

Ichigo blinked. "You... you knew?"

"Of course I knew. What kind of father would I be if I didn't notice anything? Besides, it would take a complete moron not to see how you two look at each other." He glanced between Ichigo and Toushiro. "I'm happy for you by the way; you couldn't make me any prouder, son."

"You're proud that I'm... gay?" Ichigo asked slowly, his eyes light up slightly.

"Yes, and I'm proud that you managed to nab Shiro," he sent his son a thumbs up. "Good catch, my boy."

Ichigo bent over and rubbed his temples while Toushiro blushed heavily.

**Music**

It came as no surprised that Toushiro liked classical music. It was a surprise, however, to find out that he liked heavy metal as well.

**Lollipop**

"Where did you get that?"

"Basket on your desk."

"Ukitake sent another one?"

"Do you really hate candy that much?"

"I don't _hate_ it-"

"Here try this."

"No. You've already licked it. Gross."

"Seriously? We kiss on a daily basis; my tongue has literally been inside your mouth."

**Forgiveness**

Toushiro stared in absolute horror at the shattered glass that littered the living room floor. Ichigo was going to kill him. He wasn't really sure how this had happened; he was cleaning the shelf with a rag and a bottle of polish, tripped over that damn rug which always curled up at the edges – he had told Ichigo a thousand times that it was dangerous – grabbed on to the shelf to keep from falling, and the next thing he knew there was a loud crash. He immediately dropped to the floor and tried to salvage the crystal plaque, but it was in too many pieces, and he had no idea where to begin.

Ichigo wasn't a materialistic person, not at all, but the plaque was a symbol of one of his biggest achievements. He had been the valedictorian of his university class. It was something that he had tried really hard for, something that no one had expected from him. Heck, even Toushiro had been surprised. Because Ichigo was usually a giant goofball it was very easy to forget how smart he was. He liked to invite people over and see their expression as they looked from the valedictorian award to him. But now the proof of his hard work and intelligence was scattered all over the living room floor.

"No no no no no nononononononono," Toushiro groaned and gathered up the largest of the shards. The sharp edges cut into his palms, but that was the least of his worries. There was no way that he was going to be able to piece this back together.

"What happened to your hands, Shiro?" Ichigo asked the moment he arrived home from work.

Toushiro hung his head; the confrontation had certainly come quicker than he had expected. He thought that they would have at least made it to dinner. He eyed the bandages that he had wrapped around his fingers and palms before clasping his hands behind his back, keeping them away from Ichigo's sight.

"Shiro," Ichigo prompted impatiently.

Toushiro swallowed. "I'm sorry, Ichigo, I honestly didn't mean to. I was cleaning the shelf in the living room and... and I knocked over your valedictorian award. It broke; it shattered into so many pieces, and I couldn't fix it. I'm so sorry, I'll find away to fix it, I swear. I can get you a new one; I – I can contact the university and see if they would-"

"Hey," Ichigo silenced him, "It's okay."

"No, it's not. I know how much that award meant to you-"

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. "Well I guess it did mean something, but, Shiro, it's not that big of a deal. Don't worry about it, really. It was just a plaque; I couldn't do anything with it anyway. "

Toushiro blinked. "But-"

Ichigo pulled him into a tight hug. "I said don't worry; the diploma was all I needed anyway. I do wanna see what you did to your hands, however. You cleaned them before wrapping, right?"

**Money**

Ichigo did not like asking for help. He knew that this was one of his greater faults, but he liked to think of himself as self-sufficient. Asking for help almost seemed as if he was giving up, like he had failed. A part of him knew that this was not so and that he truly shouldn't try to do _everything_ by himself, but he just couldn't bring himself to ask. This was how he ended up almost starving during his second year at university.

He was working a part time job to pay for rent and groceries. But he had miscalculated how much his textbooks would cost that year, and, as a result, had to put the money that he would have spent on food towards his books. He had no idea how he was going to get food for the next few months; he didn't have a meal plan, and he felt guilty asking his friends or family for money. The first week wasn't so terrible; he had some instant ramen and a couple bags of _cheetos_, but when even that ran out he began to quietly panic.

He was on the second day of not eating and was beginning to feel sick. He had a headache since the night before and his stomach felt as if it was eating itself. During his first lecture he had to hold his stomach to muffle the loud embarrassing noises it was making, and when he came back to his apartment he slept for the rest of the day, missing his midday class. He would have slept all afternoon, if his phone hadn't woken him up. Toushiro was outside and wanted to be let in, so he stumbled to the door and tried to put on his usual energetic facade.

"Hey," he said, smiling as he pulled Toushiro into a tight hug. "What's up? You don't usually visit on weekdays."

The _shinigami_ shrugged. "I got off early today; we don't have that much work this week. Were you busy? I thought we could have an early dinner or something."

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck and tried his best to ignore his pounding headache. "Um, sure, just let me change first."

Ichigo slunk back into his room wondering how the hell he was supposed to pay for dinner. He pulled on a clean shirt and dug through all his jeans and jacket pockets for any spear change that he might have lost track of. He found a few coins and a crumpled up bill, but it was nowhere near enough for dinner for two people. He could just tell Toushiro that he wasn't feeling very hungry that night.

They went to a small cafe down the street. He told Toushiro to get his food first, but when he got to the cash register he found out that the _shinigami_ had already paid for both of them. He thanked his boyfriend with a peck on the temple and tried to eat as if this wasn't his first meal in two days.

The next day his stomach was grumbling painfully once again and he was scrambling to think of ways to distract himself from the hunger. He did not expect to find Toushiro waiting by his front door with a large, covered, white bowl in his hands. Ichigo could smell the food from where he stood and he felt his mouth begin to water.

"Hinamori made this," he explained, holding up the bowl, "and, as always, she made too much. I can't hope to eat it all, so here."

Ichigo couldn't believe how lucky he had been two days in a row. Momo's food lasted for three days and Toushiro showed up right after, as if he had been spying on his boyfriend. He took Ichigo out for dinner again, and paid for everything. He didn't eat much and even gave Ichigo his leftovers to take home.

Ichigo wasn't stupid; the first two times may have just been coincidence, but he knew what Toushiro was trying to do. The question was how he had found out.

"You know, you don't have to pay for me this time," Ichigo grumbled when Toushiro dragged him to yet another restaurant for lunch.

"Oh?" Toushiro said, with a raised eyebrow, "And what will you use to pay; your _charm_?"

"You don't have to do this, Shiro; I can manage on my own."

Toushiro dropped Ichigo's arm and spun around to face him so suddenly that the redhead almost crashed into him.

"You're always on my tail for trying to do everything myself, so why is it any different when it comes to you? Now, I don't know how the hell you thought this was going to work, but, as far as I know, if you don't eat you'll die. I'm not about to let you die from your stupidity and stubbornness. We're going to get lunch, I'm paying for it, then we're going grocery shopping and I don't want to hear a peep out of you. Got it?"

Ichigo sighed, "How did you find out?"

Toushiro huffed and grabbed his hand again. "I'm not oblivious, Ichigo. You were complaining how money was going to be tight this month, so I intended to help you out. It wasn't until I saw your empty apartment did I know how stupid you were being."

**YouTube**

Toushiro was slightly technologically challenged. He knew how to work Ichigo's laptop for the most part; he knew his way around the word and processor and data analysis programs, but he was a bit disoriented by the internet. Ichigo had to refrain from cooing at his befuddled expression every time he accidently opened _Google_.

They had missed one of Toushiro's documentaries last night. The _shinigami_ had been looking forward to seeing it, but something had come up at the office and he had ended up staying late. Ichigo, therefore, had introduced him to _YouTube_ the next day.

"We can watch TV from your laptop?" Toushiro asked slowly as he watched Ichigo type.

"Well, it isn't exactly TV, but people upload shows to the internet. So, don't worry about missing that documentary of yours."

Toushiro blinked. "I don't understand."

The redhead turned the screen towards him. Sure enough the documentary he had missed was beginning to play.

"So, if this isn't TV then what is it?"

Ichigo simply chuckled in response and pulled Toushiro onto his lap, so they could watch the movie together.

* * *

><p><strong>This prompt set was donated by ShiroStrawberry :) <strong>

**Please leave a review on your way out; it's always a delight to hear from you guys. Also, if you want to donate any prompts feel free to drop them off in a review of PM. **

**-Mymomomo**


	8. From Scarlett Foxie II

**Delivery**

"I have a delivery for an Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Every single pair of eyes in the cafeteria turned towards Ichigo there were a few whistles and chuckles as well. It was no secret that Ichigo was in a happy long-standing relationship; everyone at the hospital knew Toushiro by face. The redhead found himself blushing slightly as he signed for his package. Of course he would be blushing; it was Valentine's Day, after all. He was reminded of the fact all throughout the hospital. The weeks leading up to this overly commercialised holiday were filled with cheap, pink plastic hearts, and red streamers and balloons. Even the front desk and nurses' station had been decked out in red and pink hearts, and bowls of cheap chocolate.

Toushiro did not want to make a big deal out of Valentine's Day this year; they had decided not to give gifts. So, the delivery had certainly come by shock. He never would have pegged his boyfriend to send him a gift on valentines at work; it just didn't seem like a very Toushiro thing to do. He hated ostentatious displays. But, Toushiro was one of the very few people who knew his favourite brand of chocolates and that he didn't like the ones with nuts or fillings. Now he felt bad for not getting Toushiro a gift. He set the box of chocolates a side and picked at his turkey sandwich. Now he needed to scramble for some idea for a present.

Toushiro was bustling around the kitchen when Ichigo got home that night. He had stopped by the convenience store for a card and a picked a few stray flowers from various arrangements around the hospital. He thought he had done well for something so last minute. Toushiro didn't hear him come in – or rather chose not to react – so he slid up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling the smaller body flush against his.

"Happy valentine's day," Ichigo sighed before kissing the crown of his head.

Toushiro tilted his head backwards to glance at his boyfriend. His hair tickled Ichigo's ribs through the thin fabric of his scrubs. "Oh, that was today?"

Ichigo chuckled and could help but to bend down and peck him on the lips. "Don't give me that. You well knew that it was today."

Toushiro sighed and turned around to actually face Ichigo. Upon seeing the redhead's smile he stretched up on his tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. "I thought we said no gifts this year." He mumbled when he noticed the card and flowers.

"You started it," Ichigo said with a shrug.

"What?"

"You sent me chocolates at work."

"What? No I didn't. Why would I send you chocolates after we said no gifts?"

"You tell me. Who sent them then?"

Toushiro was silent for a while before rolling his eyes and rubbing his temples. "Were they your favourites? No nuts, no fillings?"

"Yup."

"...Matsumoto," he growled, "I told her we weren't doing gifts this year. You would have thought I had told her that someone died."

Ichigo began to laugh. "I should have known. I knew you never would have sent me something at work."

Toushiro shook his head. "But now that you got me something I feel like... what do you want for dinner? I'll make you something special."

"You don't have to; you got me chocolates."

"_Matsumoto_ got you chocolates."

"Yeah, but knowing her, you probably paid for them. Honestly, we can just take this to the bedroom."

Toushiro looked off to the side with light pink spots on his cheeks. "We were going to do that anyway," he muttered. "At least let me feed you first."

**Black Tea**

"What kind of tea is this?" Toushiro asked as he set the mug down.

Ichigo shrugged and turned to open the cupboard next to the stove. "Earl Grey?"

"Oh."

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"I prefer green teas."

"And what's this?"

"Black."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as he turned back around. "What's the difference? Tea is tea; it's just hot leaf juice."

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "Remind me again why we are dating."

**Flowers**

Ichigo was late again. Toushiro wondered why he was even putting up with the redheaded incarnation of havoc. So far they had been on three dates and Ichigo had been late to all of them. He always rushed in muttering an apology and gave a flimsy excuse. Toushiro didn't mind too terribly, but if this persisted Ichigo's time management skills would become a real problem. He valued punctuality, after all, and couldn't see himself dating anyone who didn't.

He waited for ten minutes outside the restaurant they had agreed on, and then five more when he saw no signs of the substitute. Toushiro let out a deep breath and pushed himself from the wall he was leaning against. No, this would not do at all. He did find Ichigo amusing and he might, just might, have been falling for him, but he would not waste his time waiting around.

Just as he was about to leave he saw Ichigo round the corner at an alarming rate and rolled his eyes. What was the excuse this time, he wondered. He rested his back against the wall of the restaurant once more and watched silently as Ichigo trotted up to him, trying not to appear winded.

The redhead grinned sheepishly and a light blush dusted his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Toushiro," he gasped, hunching over and bracing himself against his knees.

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "What's the excuse this time, Kurosaki?"

"I... I... I don't even have one; I just lost track of time. I'm an idiot, I know. But, maybe this can sorta make it up?" he straightened and presented Toushiro with a (slightly wilted) bouquet of white flowers.

Toushiro raised an eyebrow and gingerly took the bouquet. "You got me... flowers?" he asked, befuddled.

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"That's what people do on dates isn't it?"

Toushiro tilted his head as he examined the bouquet. It smelt sweet, like honey. He had never received flowers before and wasn't sure if he liked it or not. But the thought behind the gesture was very sweet. He suddenly remembered why he had – maybe – fallen for Ichigo. The redhead was frazzled at best, but he was also exceedingly thoughtful.

"The florist said it was honeysuckle and snow on the mountain. It seemed suitable, I guess, the names, I mean. Snow 'cause it's you element and all, and honey 'cause you're sweet... I don't know, is it too cheesy? Do you even like flowers? I should have asked before I got them. It is too cheesy, isn't it? I can take them back if you don't like them."

Toushiro's sigh turned into a small smile. "Thank you, Kurosaki. They're nice."

**Multivitamin**

Ichigo had been giving him grief about his weight recently. Toushiro knew he was underweight; there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't as if he skipped meals; his body just tended to shed weight without him doing much. He had tried to explain this to Ichigo, but the redhead was having none of it and insisted that Toushiro eat more.

That morning Ichigo brandished a sizable pill in front of his nose.

"What's that?" Toushiro asked, slapping his hand away.

"A multivitamin," Ichigo replied.

"I already told you, Kurosaki, I'm not malnourished. You even checked last week; I'm perfectly healthy."

"There's no harm in taking a multivitamin, Toushiro."

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "There's no need for me to take one."

"Then it's just for my peace of mind. I just want to make sure that nothing is wrong with you."

"There _is_ nothing wrong with me."

Ichigo left the pill on the table. "Like I said, there's no harm in taking it. You maybe be eating healthily, but you never know if you're missing out on an essential nutrient or not."

"Then why don't _you_ take it?"

"I already did."

Toushiro rolled his eyes as Ichigo got up and brought his dishes to the sink then his mouth flickered upwards when he kissed him on the temple before he left for work. Toushiro eyed the pill as he heard Ichigo's car start up and picked it up when he heard him pull out of the drive way. If there really wasn't any harm in taking it... Ichigo was a doctor so he did know what he was talking about. Toushiro sighed and got up to fill a glass of water. There was nothing wrong with his body; he was only doing this to appease Ichigo. He knocked back the pill and took a sip of water to wash it down. But, as he swallowed he felt a slight tickle in his throat when some water managed to make its way into his windpipe. He coughed in an effort to clear it, but then felt something hard and round lodge itself in his trachea.

His eyes widened and he clutched his throat, scrabbling in vain at the skin and trying to dislodge the pill so he could breathe. Toushiro began to panic; he coughed and gagged, but soon realised that the pill wasn't going anywhere. He hunched over, one hand grabbing the edge of the breakfast table, and wheezed heavily. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Gods, was he really going to die like this; bested by a multivitamin that was supposed to keep him alive in the long run? He fisted his hands together and thrust them into his diaphragm; that should help right? He felt something move, but it wasn't enough; he still couldn't breathe.

Blood pounded in his ears and an insane pressure began to build up in his head; he collapsed to his knees. He had to keep calm; panicking would do him no use in a situation like this. He thrust his hands into his abdomen again, but already black spots were dancing in the corners of his eyes and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. He braced himself against the floor and tried once more to force the pill from his windpipe and –

"Hey, Toushiro, forgot my phone – _gods what's wrong_?"

Ichigo was on the ground next to him in a heartbeat. His brown eyes were wide with concern. Toushiro grabbed his throat and made a few weak strangled noises. Immediately, Ichigo pulled Toushiro to his feet and tightly wrapped his arms around his abdomen. He drove his clasped hands sharply upwards into Toushiro's stomach. Toushiro gagged loudly and Ichigo repeated the manoeuvre once, twice, and the pill was finally dislodged from his windpipe. He coughed it up and spat it onto the kitchen floor, gasping gratefully as fresh air filled his lungs.

Ichigo spun Toushiro around and hugged him tightly to his chest. Toushiro hadn't realised how fast and heavy his heart was pounding, or that small tears had leaked out from his eyes until then. He clutched Ichigo's scrubs tightly and buried his face in his chest. Ichigo gently stroked his hair and made soft, soothing noises.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Toushiro nodded, still breathing hard. "Gods, I almost died," he muttered, his throat hurt and his voice was rough and scratchy. Ichigo kissed his forehead and hugged him a bit tighter.

"I've never been happier to have forgotten something," the redhead muttered.

Toushiro grumbled, "Screw your multivitamin. I think I'll take my chances without it."

Ichigo mumbled an apology and buried his face in Toushiro's hair.

**Platform Shoes**

"No. There's absolutely no way in hell," Toushiro growled at his lieutenant.

"Please, Captain," Rangiku pouted, "it won't be that bad."

"No, and that's my final answer."

"Oh come on, Shiro, help her out." Ichigo grinned from his position on the office couch.

"You have no say in this, Ichigo; I know you've always wanted to see me in girl's clothes. No, Matsumoto, ask someone else."

"I did. I asked everyone, but they're all busy!" Rangiku threw her hands up, "you're my last resort."

"Why am _I_ even on your list?"

"Because you're a bit androgynous..."

The office was dead silent for a few minutes.

"... What?"

"It means you look like a girl," Ichigo supplied.

"I know what it means and I'm not."

Rangiku huffed. "Please, Captain, we need a group of five women to get the discount. I even have an outfit picked out for you."

Toushiro raised his eyebrows. "Oh, do you?"

"Shiro-"

"Shut up, Ichigo; I'm not indulging your perverted fantasies.

Ichigo stuck his tongue out and turned to Rangiku. "What kind of outfit?"

"It was a cute, blue dress and platform boots..."

Ichigo's eyes widened comically. "Can he walk in heels?"

"We'll have to find out, now won't we?"

They both turned to Toushiro who instantly knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

**Chicken Piccata**

Toushiro took in the high ceilings, glass chandeliers, and mosaic walls before turning to his husband with a sharp glare.

"Seriously? What is your obsession with expensive restaurants?" he hissed.

Ichigo just grinned as they were lead to a table next to an indoor fountain. Toushiro scoffed when they were left with the menus and hesitated slightly before opening his.

"I could be having so much fun without you," Ichigo teased.

"You'd be broke without me."

Ichigo chuckled softly, "The chicken piccata sounds good."

"It sounds damn expensive."

"Which brings us to the reason why I brought us here. So, you remember last month when I said that Dr. Fujimoto was retiring?"

Toushiro nodded.

"Well, he didn't tell me that he had recommended me for his old job. You're looking at the new chief surgeon."

Toushiro couldn't help but smile widely. "That's wonderful, Ichigo; I'm proud of you." He reached across the table and took Ichigo's hand in his.

Ichigo squeezed his hand gently. "Thanks." He smiled widely before tapping his menu with his finger and sending a pointed look towards his husband. "I'm getting the chicken piccata, what about you?"

**Piñata**

Ichigo had to stop himself from laughing by shoving his fist into his mouth. One of his work friends had invited him to his little sister's birthday party. It was a pool party and he needed all the adult help he could get. Naturally Ichigo had dragged Toushiro along. They hadn't come across this situation before; he knew that Toushiro looked young, but never would he have thought that he would have been mistaken for a twelve-year-old. One of the kids had come up to him and asked if he wanted to play with the others. Toushiro shot Ichigo a death glare and politely refused. Once the kid had heard his deep voice he realised his mistake and scampered off.

"Stop laughing, you moron," Toushiro growled, "It isn't funny."

"It's hilarious," Ichigo chuckled, "the _kid_ thought you were a kid. You're a bit tall for a twelve-year-old, though."

Toushiro snorted. "I never thought I'd hear _that_."

Ichigo, still chuckling, wrapped an arm around Toushiro's shoulders. "I heard they have a piñata; you sure you don't wanna join the fun?"

**Broken Leg**

"Are you okay, Ichigo? What happened?"

Ichigo had texted Toushiro as soon as the cast had set. He didn't expect his boyfriend to come running to his side. He scratched the back of his neck and puffed his cheeks before letting the air out in a loud 'woosh'.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a broken leg; not the worst I've ever had."

Toushiro eyed the cast around his leg and slowly shook his head. "Why didn't you just heal it with _kido_? I'm sure that would have been more convenient."

"Because I work at a hospital," the redhead grumbled.

Toushiro raised his eyebrow, urging him to continue.

"Everyone saw me fall; they _heard_ the bone snap. What was I supposed to do? Stop them from looking at it and putting me in a cast? I'm just gonna have to live with this for a while, I guess."

Toushiro sighed and reached out to run a hand through Ichigo's hair. "Meaning I'm going to have to take care of you for a while. How long?"

"About three months."

Another sigh, "I can deal with that, I suppose."

**Spear**

It was not very often that Ichigo got bored when Toushiro was around. Somehow, the small _shinigami_ could make even the most mundane subjects be of interest to Ichigo. They watched documentaries from the History and Discovery channels every weekend. Ichigo never complained, he just snuggled under the duvet and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. But this museum, the Museum of Natural History, had Ichigo wanting to rip out his hair from boredom. He had been here hundreds of times before and the interest had long since run out. Sure he had loved looking at the dinosaur bones and running through the caveman exhibit when he was a kid, but the museum had been the exact same for the past ten years.

He had forgotten how boring it was when he had suggested that he and Toushiro spend their afternoon there. Toushiro was captivated by almost every exhibit and Ichigo had to force a smile as he was lead – pulled – around.

"Ancient weapons..." Toushiro muttered aloud, reading the description block next to the replica of a samurai. "They're not _that_ old," he groused turning to Ichigo, "That spear looks exactly like Madarame's _shikai_."

"Well, the Soul Society is a bit dated. I keep on telling you guys that."

Toushiro huffed, "It's not like we can do anything about it."

"How old are you anyway?" Ichigo asked softly.

He shrugged. "I lost track some time ago."

Ichigo paused, not expecting that answer. "Give me a range..."

"I'd say somewhere between 85 and 120."

The redhead's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "No way. You're _old_."

"I'm not that old."

"I'm twenty-one; that's less than a fifth of you age."

"If you go by the upper boundary." He rolled his eyes. "Ukitake is around a thousand. I'm pretty young, thank you very much."

"You're almost the same age as this exhibit."

Toushiro narrowed his eyes. "Shut up, Ichigo."

**Car**

"Let's go on a road trip," Ichigo suggested one lazy Sunday afternoon.

Toushiro tilted his head. "To where?"

"The where's not important. Just imagine; you, me, and nothing else. We could have-"

"No. No car sex."

**Princess**

"I still can't get over how beautiful you are," Ichigo murmured as he peppered kisses along Toushiro's bare torso.

The _shinigami_ blushed heavily and hid his face in his shoulder. "Stop it," he whispered, "I'm not."

Ichigo braced himself on his elbows and slid up Toushiro's body, so that their faces were level. He hooked a finger under Toushiro's chin and turned his face before pressing a few soft kisses to his lips. "Yes, you are," he said between kisses, "I could go on and on about how beautiful you are."

"Please, don't," Toushiro breathed, but he still wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck and tangled his fingers in the short hair at the back of his head.

Ichigo grinned and placed one last kiss on the tip of his nose. "Too late; I'm already in the mood."

Toushiro's blush spread from his cheeks to the rest of his face and the tips of his ears.

"You have no idea how much I love you. Your hair, your little nose, the way you blush," he paused to trace a finger along Toushiro's jaw, down his neck and chest, stopping right above his navel where he ran his palm across all the dips and ridges of hard muscles. Toushiro's eyes fluttered shut.

"Your skin, even your scars."He traced a particularly long one that ran from his right collarbone to the left side of his ribcage. Then he brushed his fingertips along his sides; over his ribs, waist and hips.

"I love how I can fit my hands around your waist."

Toushiro snorted softly and flicked the side of Ichigo's head. "I'm not that small."

Ichigo chuckled softly and moved them so that Toushiro was sitting in his lap. He placed his hands around the narrowest part of Toushiro's waist. With his thumbs poking Toushiro's navel there was only a five or six inch gap between his middle fingers. Toushiro's mouth opened slightly and a small frown made its way onto his face. Ichigo pulled him into a tight hug and kissed the side of his neck.

"You know, back in the middle ages women used to wear corsets to make their waists smaller. I think you'd have given even princesses a run for their money."

"Is that supposed to make me feel good? Comparing me to a princess?"

"You're my princess."

Toushiro sighed and wrapped his arms around Ichigo's chest. "The last time I checked I was very much male."

Ichigo chuckled softly and swooped down to peck Toushiro's lips. "I know that," he mumbled and smiled into the kiss. Toushiro drew him in deeper, before he could pull away.

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><p><strong>I was in a fluffy mood this time around, hope you guys liked it. Again tell me what you thought :)<strong>

**This set was donated by Scarlett Foxie. **

**Donations are still being accepted; review or PM me if you'd like to drop off a set.**

**-Mymomomo**


	9. From Ohisashi II

**Happy turkey day everyone. Consider this a thanksgiving present, I guess - from someone who doesn't celebrate thanksgiving :) **

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><p><strong>Lollipop<strong>

"I can't see any practical reasoning for making candy that big," Toushiro sniffed as they passed a confectionary on their walk through the mall.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder and hid a snicker in the back of his hand. That particular shop was known for their over-sized candy. The lollipop in question was probably a foot and a half in diameter.

"No one can hope to eat that all without dying of diabetes," the _shinigami_ continued.

"You don't eat it all," Ichigo explained, "you share it."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell shares lollipops? What, do you just lick and pass it along?"

"...You cut it into pieces."

"Oh." A fierce blush took over Toushiro's face and he was suddenly in a hurry to get as far away as possible from the candy shop.

**Horror Movie**

Toushiro had agreed to take a break from their Friday night documentary in favour to watch a horror movie that Ichigo had been building up to all week. The redhead had said nothing but how scary it was going to be; Toushiro didn't believe him.

They sat snuggled together on the couch with a blanket wrapped around them and a bowl of buttery popcorn as the opening credits began to play. It was cliché; that was all Toushiro had to say after the first twenty minutes. He glanced over to his boyfriend who was ensnared by the screen, shovelling popcorn into his mouth by the handful. Toushiro rolled his eyes, but leaned against Ichigo's shoulder and wrapped his hands around his bicep. Ichigo rested his cheek on the top of Toushrio's head, eyes still trained on the television.

Then things suddenly took a turn for the worse. It had happened quickly and with no warning. The two viewers suddenly found themselves in the middle of a gruesome, twisted plot with no way to get out. Ichigo had thrown the popcorn bowl across the living room and Toushiro's initial scream had been so loud they thought the neighbours were going to barge in. They had gone from cuddling to clinging to each other for dear life.

When the credits rolled across the screen their hearts were beating frantically and they were both frozen still, too scared to move. They did a quick match of rock-paper-scissors to see who had to take the DVD out of the player and wander across the living room to get the lights. They ended sleeping on the couch, limbs tangled and blanket shielding them from harm. The credits played out and they woke up to the main menu sequence playing over and over. At least in the daylight things were less scary.

**Cooking**

Neither Ichigo nor Toushiro had come into their relationship knowing how to cook. Ichigo had picked up basic skills from when he was living on his own during university, but it was nothing to brag about, in fact everything he made ended up bland and soggy. Toushiro had rarely even set foot in a kitchen. Living in _Rukongai_ his grandmother and Momo had done all the cooking, and once he had joined the academy, and subsequently the _Gotei_ Thirteen, trained cooking staff took over. So, when the two had finally started living together they quickly realised that rudimentary cooking skills were not going to cut it.

"Cooking classes?" Ichigo suggested.

"Why should we take classes when we both have sisters who could very well open their own restaurants?"

**Park**

Ichigo clenched his jaw and was about to jump up and attack the arrogant, narrow-minded, complete _asshole_ who had just lobbed a banana smoothie –a king-sized, mostly full banana smoothie – at him and Toushiro. They hadn't been doing anything, just sitting on a park bench holding hands and talking, when the beverage had come out of nowhere, clipping the side of Toushiro's head and Ichigo's chin, and spewing the cold, slimy liquid all over their faces and clothes. Seconds later they heard someone yell out a few obscenities and curse them to hell for going against 'god's will'.

After he cleared the goop from his face, Ichigo saw red. His hands trembled in rage and he scanned the park for the asshole that had attacked them. Toushiro stopped him with a hand on his arm and a firm shake of the head.

"He's not worth it," he muttered softly.

Ichigo ground his teeth and breathed heavily through, wanting nothing more that to beat someone, _something_ to a pulp, especially as the entire park had gone silent for a few minutes before a few whispers began to circumnavigate their bench.

"Calm down, Ichigo," Toushiro said soothingly.

"Calm down?" the redhead spat, "How the hell am I supposed to calm down? Look at us! Look at what that asshole did to us!" He could feel his eyes start to sting and his throat grew tight. The smell of banana was revolting and he wanted to retch.

"Are you two okay?" A jogger stopped a few feet away from them with nothing but pure concern on his face.

Ichigo didn't trust himself to speak.

"Yes, thank you," Toushiro said, flicking a drizzle of smoothie from the side of his face.

Seconds later a teenage girl was offering them a stack of napkins, and when that didn't cut it a young family brought out a pack of wet wipes from their diaper bag. The owner of the smoothie stall offered them free smoothies the next time they came to the park, and a group of high-schoolers said that they'd beat the guy up if they ever saw him again. Ichigo found himself smiling slightly at their kindness, but he still could not shake the tight, hot lump in his chest.

He had come into contact with that kind of prejudiced person before and gotten mad at them, but kept quiet, not wanting to start anything. Never had he been on the receiving end of both physical and verbal abuse, and he found it hurt terribly. He was silent on the way back home and wordlessly stripped out of his ruined clothes once he entered the bathroom. A bruise was starting to form on his chin and he clenched his jaw tighter as his vision blurred. He slammed his hands on the counter top just as there was a knock on the door. Toushiro poked his head in and zeroed in on Ichigo's clothes.

"I'm going to throw this stuff in the washing machine..." he trailed off with a sigh when he saw Ichigo's face and stepped into the room, dropping the bundle of dirty clothes that he had been carrying and swooping over to wrap his arms around Ichigo's waist. "It's alright, Ichigo," he breathed, "Let's just forget this even happened; that asshole isn't worth our time."

"I can't just forget it," Ichigo growled, "People like that make me so angry. We weren't even doing anything, just freaking holding hands," his voice cracked and he took a deep breath, "God's I wish I had beaten him to a pulp."

Toushiro rubbed a small circle into Ichigo's back. "Well, I'm glad you didn't. I'm glad you didn't sink to his level; I know you're better than that."

Ichigo snorted and hooked a finger under Toushiro's jaw. He tilted his face to the side and examined the slightly swelling bruise that contrasted awfully with his pale skin. "How can you be so calm after this? That guy embarrassed us, insulted us, _degraded_ us-"

"I _am_ mad about it, but that doesn't change what happened. Believe me, I know how mean people can be; I know about being ostracised and hate crimes. And, baby, as much as it hurts you can't let it get to you, because that's what they want. They want to break you and see you destroyed, so being strong and unyielding is how you get back and spit in their faces."

Toushiro reached up and traced a finger along Ichigo's jaw. "It's okay to feel bad and cry about it, but in the end stay strong and don't give in to them."

Ichigo closed his eyes and let a single tear drop down his cheek. Toushiro wiped it away and stretched up on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Ichigo's neck. "And remember, as bad as it gets, you'll always have me."

**Halloween**

"Do I have to dress up?" Toushiro asked from the bedroom.

"Yeah, you'll be the only one who doesn't. Do you really want to be 'that guy'?" Ichigo said offhandedly as he examined his Robin-hood costume in the bathroom mirror.

"But this looks so childish," Toushiro complained.

Ichigo smirked to himself. He hadn't told his boyfriend that his costume _was_ a child's costume. He knew that Toushiro would have put up a fight and children's sizes were the only ones that would fit him.

"It's Halloween; nobody cares if you look childish or not. I'm going to be wearing fox ears _and_ a tail with this. Plus, I know of twenty-something year old women who are dressing as _princesses_."

Ichigo knew the only hope he had of getting Toushiro into the bear costume was to tell him that it was _Little John_; Robin-hood's partner in crime, who just happened to be a bear. He had even gone out of his way to buy a small quiver of arrows, a bow, and a little, green vest, so he wouldn't get suspicious. It was going to be one hell of a night trying not to coo at his tiny boyfriend in a bear suit.

Toushiro barged into the bathroom with a scowl on his face and shoved Ichigo aside to glare at himself in the mirror.

"No pictures," he said as he tugged on the hood part of the costume. "If Matsumoto sees me in this, I'm going to skin you alive."

Ichigo grinned and snapped a few anyway, just because Toushiro looked so damn adorable.

**Bunny**

Ichigo had agreed to take care of Yuzu's bunny for two weeks while she went on a trip with Karin and some of her friends. Rabbits were calm and friendly, right? All they did was hop about and eat, right? Well, apparently they chewed through stuff and bit hard.

"No trouble, my foot," the redhead grumbled as he nursed his bitten hand. The rabbit had hopped away hissing. He hadn't even known rabbits could hiss. He was beginning to think that his sister had been duped and that her pet wasn't what she thought it was.

"Where'd it get to?" Toushiro wearily asked from his position perched on the armrest of the couch. He was usually good with animals, but the first thing the rabbit had done when it arrived at their apartment was to bite him so hard he bled.

"I have no idea," Ichigo muttered looking around for the any sign of the brown beast. "Are all the doors locked?"

Toushiro thought for a minute. "Ah crap; the bedroom..."

They were both silent for a while.

"Um, would you be opposed to sleeping on the couch tonight?" Ichigo asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"...The couch is good."

**Vegetable**

"Ichigo, are you being serious? Eat your vegetables."

"I don't like them."

"I don't care; they're good for you."

"They still taste bad."

**Canada**

Ichigo was shipped off to Canada for a three week medical conference. Toushiro would have joined him but that same week Ichigo left The Tenth was given a new recon mission, so he stayed back to handle it.

"You would love it here," Ichigo told him over _Skype_, "There's so much snow."

Toushiro chuckled. "How's the conference going?"

"Boring, as expected. But everyone here is really nice; they don't make fun of my accent, like at the last conference."

Toushiro smiled.

"Oh, I saw a moose the other day! Well, not a real one, but a life-sized statue and they're huge! I didn't know they were _that_ big."

Toushiro let Ichigo chat on for a while as he felt his eyelids begin to droop and a yawn escaped him.

"Ah," Ichigo paused mid sentence, "Sorry, you're probably exhausted."

There was a sixteen hour time difference between Japan and Albeta. So while Ichigo was just starting the day Toushiro was struggling to stay awake.

"No, I'll stay up for you," Toushiro yawned.

"It's okay, Shiro, I can call you when you're not minutes away from passing out."

He was about to protest but another yawn stopped him and he admitted defeat. "Okay," he mumbled, "I miss you; get back safely."

Ichigo put his lips to the camera in an imitation of a kiss, "I'll be home soon; it's only two more weeks. Now, get to bed and I love you."

"Love you, too."

**Popsicle**

"You do know what that looks like, right?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

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><p><strong>Hope you guys liked this. Sorry for that random bout of angst in the middle, but it <em>had<em> to come up sooner or later... _  
><em>**

**Note on doubles: I don't see any reason for me to do only one story for a prompt. I mean, they're tonnes of situations I can put these two in. So, don't worry about repeating prompts if you decide to donate; unless things get ridiculous, like 4 or 5 of the same prompt. And I'll always tell you if I won't do a prompt for any reason at all.**

**This prompt set was graciously donated by Ohisashi :) **

**As always, reviews are encouraged. And I'm accepting prompt donations, so drop those off in a PM or review if you're so inclined. **

**-Mymomomo**


	10. From Corisanna III

**So instead of being the good little student that I am I worked on this rather than my Lit paper. And yes, I am working on the next chapter of God Complex if anyone is interested; a lot more thought has to be put into that one so progress has been slow at best. **

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this. **

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><p><strong>Denial<strong>

"You love him, Captain," Matsumoto said with a smile.

Toushiro scowled. "I do not."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm not teasing you, honestly."

"Then what are you trying, Matsumoto?" Toushiro sighed.

"It's just that you've been more relaxed lately, and I caught you smiling a few times. It worries me when you're mean and serious all the time; even you need a break. Ichigo's been good for you."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "Ichigo and I aren't in love." Only idiots fell in love, and Toushiro was not an idiot. Love caused pain, and that was something he would like to avoid.

"We're not?"

Toushiro's eyes widened and he spun around to see Ichigo frozen in the doorway with hurt clearly visible in his brown eyes. Crap.

"Kurosaki, what are you doing here?" he said, trying to recover.

"Apparently hearing that the person who I love doesn't love me back."

"You don't love me, Kurosaki."

Ichigo snorted ruefully. "I thought I did," he spat before storming out.

Toushiro sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.

"What the hell was that, Captain?" Matsumoto admonished, narrowing her eyes.

"We're not-"

"That's bullshit and you know it. Why are you afraid of admitting it?"

"I don't-"

"Go find him."

"What?"

"Go. Find. Ichigo. And talk to him before you ruin what you have going on. Because, if you don't realise that what you two have is special, and something that not everyone gets, then maybe you don't really deserve it."

**Mythology**

"Come, Shiro, let me read you a bedtime story."

Ichigo was met with a violent snort. "I'm not a child, Kurosaki, might I remind you."

"I know, I know. But you'll like this, I promise."

"Do I dare ask what it is?"

"Greek Mythology."

Toushiro paused and Ichigo knew he had captured his attention. From that night onwards, they had a form of story time. Sometimes Ichigo read aloud, sometimes Toushiro, but it always ended in one having to nudge the other awake, lest he spend the night on the living room couch.

**Gelatine**

"Ichigo, the stove!" Toushiro shouted, practically leaping across the kitchen as soon as the pot started to hiss.

Ichigo dropped the knife he was using to chop up a few strawberries and spun around just in time to see the milk and gelatine mix boil over the edges of the pot with a symphony of hisses and crackles. He groaned loudly as he removed the pot from the burner and examined the contents. Well, it didn't look too; bad he thought as he dipped the tip of his finger into the scorching liquid and tasted it. Nope, it tasted burnt. He sighed loudly and poured it down the sink.

"Gonna have to start the custard over," he grumbled.

Toushiro chuckled softly, "How about you keep an eye on the stove while I slice the fruit?"

"Nah, that's fine; I just have to-"

"I'm better with a knife anyway."

Ichigo snorted, "In your dreams."

**Castle**

"Gods, these fairy-tales are awful. They're so full of clichés and stereotypes that it's sickening."

"You just don't have a romantic bone in your body."

"I'm sorry, is falling in love with someone you don't even know supposed to be romantic?"

"No, but it's the idea behind it. The prince goes through all those trials just to prove how much love means to him. I mean, come on, slaying dragons? That's pretty impressive."

"More like stupid. What if the princess didn't love him back? Then he'd have gone through all that trouble for nothing."

"If anyone slayed a dragon for me I'd definitely fall in love with them."

"... Good to know how easily you can be swayed then."

"No, I meant-"

"I know what you meant, don't worry. Just don't expect me to kill any animals, especially dragons, for our anniversary. Hyourinmaru would be personally offended."

"Of course not."

**Ivy**

"We're in the middle of nowhere, Shiro. I can't even remember the last house I saw," Ichigo sighed heavily as he brought their bags into the ivy covered cottage.

"It's quaint," Toushiro replied.

"If we die out here, no one will find us."

"That's very sweet, Ichigo."

**Windmill**

"How do people even build these? Kind of makes you feel small, doesn't it?" Ichigo asked as Toushiro craned his neck skywards.

"What are they?" the _shinigami_ asked.

"Windmills," Ichigo said as he looked at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eyes, trying to figure out a way he could explain how harnessing wind energy worked. But surprisingly Toushiro didn't ask.

He shrugged with one shoulder. "Hmm, they look at lot different from what I pictured."

"When did you hear about windmills?"

"They were mentioned in a book about alternative energy resources that I was reading."

Ichigo cringed. "Why would you read a book about that?"

"Well I do spend half my time in this world; it makes sense to learn about it. Plus, your explanations can get confusing."

**Crooked**

Toushiro had small hands. His palms were covered with calluses but his fingers were slender with knobbly joints and neatly cut nails. However, one of his fingers, his right ring finger, was noticeably crooked. It leaned so far to the right that there was a sharp 'v' between it and his middle finger even when he squeezed them together.

"What happened, here?" Ichigo asked, running his fingertips along the small appendage.

Toushiro glanced at his hands. "I probably broke it and it healed badly."

"Probably broke it? You don't remember?"

"It happened when I was still living in the _Rukongai_. I don't remember how exactly; probably got it caught in something."

"You should have splinted it."

"Probably."

**Cream**

Toushiro took a sip from his mug of hot chocolate, and managed to get whipped cream on his nose. Chuckling softly, Ichigo leaned over and licked it off.

**Candle**

"Ichigo, blow out that candle; it's going to burn down the house."

"No, we need it for warmth or we'll freeze in our sleep."

"It's one candle. It isn't doing much for warmth anyway."

"Then it's certainly not going to burn down the house."

Toushiro huffed and rolled over, giving Ichigo his back.

"Nooo," the redhead moaned and wrapped his arms around Toushiro's waist to pull him tightly against his chest. "It's too cold for that. If the candle isn't doing much then I need your body heat."

"You're infuriating, Kurosaki," Toushiro sighed, but pushed his body into Ichigo's regardless. "It's not even that cold."

"I don't have your tolerance, remember. I don't think anyone has your tolerance."

Toushiro sighed again. "You could just turn on the heat..."

"Yeah... but then we wouldn't get to cuddle."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow as he rolled back over and propped himself up on his elbows. "So, let me get this straight, you're freezing your ass off just so you can _cuddle_ with me?"

Ichigo grinned abashedly. "I like cuddling with you."

A soft chuckle bubbled up from Toushiro's chest despite his exasperation. He leaned over Ichigo's shoulder to blow out the candle then pulled the comforter up to their chins before worming his arms around Ichigo's chest and entwining their legs.

"I'll indulge you this once," he said, placing a few quick kisses along the redhead's jaw line.

**River**

"Let's go swimming."

"No, we don't have swimming suits."

"Doesn't matter; there's no one around."

"Absolutely not."

"Come on, live a little, Shiro."

"I'm already dead, thank you very much."

"Party-pooper."

"I'm not stopping you. _You_ can go; just don't include me in your madness."

"Ah, you want to watch."

"Who'd want to watch you?"

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><p><strong>Short set this time, I suppose... it speaks of my mental state right now (finals fever woohoo)<br>**

**This set was donated by Corisanna. Hope you guys enjoyed them. Also I'm gonna close prompt donations for a while - just a chapter or two - cause as much as I love doing these I need to take a break and focus on real life for a while. **

**But feel free to leave off a review if you want. **

**-Mymomomo**


	11. From the unknown assassin

**Most of my finals are done, just an on-line exam on Saturday then I can forget about classes for a month :) That being said, here's a new chapter. **

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><p><strong>Child <strong>

"What are we supposed to do with a kid?" Toushiro sighed, looking down at the small boy who was clinging onto his pants and bawling his lungs out.

"Whatever people usually do with kids, I guess," Ichigo muttered. "The police said they'd notify us if someone put in a missing-child report. I mean the least we can do is take care of him until then."

Toushiro sighed softly once more before picking the boy up and stroking his dark hair. He clung to Toushiro's shirt and his crying quietened a bit. Ichigo felt something flutter in his chest.

They had found a small boy – a toddler really – wondering around a park and crying. The next thing they knew they had a screaming two-year-old in their living room. Toushiro held him on his lap and rubbed slow, gentle circles into his tiny back while Ichigo stood on standby with a cup of apple juice. It took them a while to comfort him enough to stop crying. Once he realised that that neither of them were a threat he took to clinging onto Ichigo's shirt and sucking his thumb with watery deep, brown eyes and snot running from his little nose.

Eventually they found out that his name was Kyo, or some variant, and he lived in the red house with someone called Bun-bun and what seemed to be at least twelve other children. They were banking on the missing-child report, or this kid was never going to find his home.

But, it had been a long day for the poor boy and he was beginning to fall asleep against Ichigo's chest. The redhead's stomach fluttered again and he ran a finger gently across Kyo's cheek. He nuzzled into Ichigo's hand, causing him to coo and look to his husband with wide eyes.

Toushiro leaned over and pecked Ichigo on the cheek. Then he leaned down to Kyo. "Sleepy?" he asked softly.

Kyo nodded through a wide yawn then rubbed his eyes with pudgy fists and snuggled up against Ichigo, his eyes fluttering shut.

"We should get him ready for bed," Toushiro muttered.

It was then that the couple realised how horribly unprepared they were to take care of a child. Ichigo scampered to the nearest store to buy baby-stuff while Toushiro bathed and got him ready for bed – he had drawn the short end of the stick when he realised that Kyo wasn't toilet trained yet. Then, once the child was dressed in one of Toushiro's old shirts, because Ichigo's would have _drowned_ him, they put him down in the guest bedroom and watched his little chest as he breathing evened out.

Ichigo flipped the lights with a wide smile and left the door a crack open. He wrapped his arms around Toushiro's waist as soon as they were far enough down the hall, and pulled him tightly against his chest. Toushiro leaned back into him and breathed deeply.

"Hmm, who'd have thought we'd end up with a kid," Ichigo laughed, as he nuzzled into Toushiro's hair.

"He's not ours," Toushiro muttered. "I wouldn't get too attached, Ichigo, he might already have a family."

"A family would have contacted us by now. As sad as this is, I don't think he has anyone."

Toushiro was silent for a while. "I hope that's not the case," he said at length.

Ichigo kissed his temple only to have him turn around and wrap his hands around his hips.

Ichigo woke the next morning to a slight weight on his chest. He blearily opened his eyes expecting to be met with the top of Toushiro's white head; instead he saw black. He almost jumped, but then he recalled what happened the night before.

"How did you get up here?" Ichigo wondered aloud and gently stroked the top of the small head.

Toushiro, ever the light sleeper, groaned softly. "He was crying last night; wouldn't stop until I brought him in here with us."

"Poor thing must be traumatised," Ichigo sighed and craned his neck to kiss the crown of Kyo's head.

"Daddy," he yawned softly and snuggled into Ichigo's chest.

"Daddy?" Toushiro said with a raised eyebrow.

Ichigo just grinned. "I kinda like how that sounds, actually."

Toushiro pushed himself into Ichigo's side and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "It suits you."

They were contacted by the police right after breakfast. It turned out that Kyo was from a small foster organisation that was based just outside of Karakura. How the boy had managed to get so lost was a mystery to everyone. Ichigo thought that it was fate guiding him to them. After being married for almost four years, they were beginning to consider having kids. The organisation was relieved to find Kyo, but by then Ichigo had started to think.

"Shiro, do you think we could adopt him?" he asked softly as he watched Kyo hug a grey, warn-looking woman.

Toushiro turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Wasn't that the plan?"

**Thanksgiving**

Toushiro slapped Ichigo's hand away from his stomach. He had never eaten so much food before and, because he was stick-thin, there was a clear bulge in his stomach. His current position was lying on the couch with his hands over his head while his husband leaned over him with a wide grin.

"Don't do that, Ichigo, I'm going to throw up," he grumbled.

Ichigo chuckled softly. "You didn't have to eat so much; I tell you this every year."

"I didn't want to seem rude. And you ate just as much as me." Yuzu's cooking had been better than usual that night – the best food he had eaten in his life. He swore she got better every Thanksgiving.

"I'm also much bigger than you."

Toushiro sent him a death glare, yet he still traced his fingers along the _shinigami's_ stomach and laughed.

"I'm seriously going to throw up on you. I'll make sure to get it in your hair."

Ichigo pecked him on the cheek. "You're adorable with a little pudge; like a puppy. Now, come on, we should be getting back home."

Toushiro groaned.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"... Yes."

**Snow **

Snowball fights were childish, Toushiro thought as he watched the group of way-too-old-for-this- college-students run around the Kurosaki's backyard. He rolled his eyes as his idiotic boyfriend was hit on the side of his head and spun around with a look of vengeance. Yes, this was way too childish. He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, they were right in not asking him to join; he would have said no anyway.

Karin, Yuzu, and Orihime had taken shelter behind a small wall of snow and pelted snowballs at the others who had no cover. Ichigo seemed to be on a team with Chad, while Uryu grudgingly lurked near the fence occasionally attacking, but was more or less being attacked. Renji and Rukia had somehow gotten themselves into this mess and were in the middle of it all, throwing snowballs as if they had some sort of machine gun. Isshin – it had been no surprise when he joined in – was long since buried.

Toushiro adjusted the scarf around his neck and shoved his hands into his pockets. Hopefully they would get tired of this soon or he would –

A snowball flew astray and hit him directly in the face.

Dead silence ensued and every single head turned towards him, the flushes draining from their cheeks and all movement halted. Toushiro brushed away the snow and raised an eyebrow at their expressions. From the looks of things it would have seemed that they had thrown a knife rather than a snowball.

"Sorry, Captain," Renji called over, "It was an accident, I swear."

Toushiro rolled his eyes; why did they always insist on walking on eggshells around him, especially in these situations? Did they really think he would get mad just because he was hit by a stray snowball? How infantile.

He knelt down and rolled a handful of snow into a prefect ball while the rest of the backyard held their breaths. He launched the snowball straight towards Renji and hit him square in the chest.

"Let's see you try that again," he smirked.

And just like that the game resumed. (Toushiro dominated it, of course, but ended up with blue fingers because he found gloves annoying.)

**Sweaters **

"Ichigo that's the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"It's not that ugly..."

Toushiro snorted, "Well, going by your fashion sense it suits you."

Ichigo scowled at his boyfriend and punched him lightly on the arm. "You keep on calling my ugly and yet we're still together."

Toushiro scowled back and rubbed his arm.

"I know it's ugly, but it's tradition. We always wear ugly sweaters on Christmas eve."

"Dear gods, why?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know; it's just what we've always done."

Toushiro eyed the chunky, wool sweater with disdain. "You know that's not going to fit me, right?"

"Mmmm, we can roll up the sleeves."

Toushiro rolled his eyes, but pulled the sweater over his head anyway. Once it was on he looked down at it, to the one Ichigo wore, then back to his.

"Ichigo... do we match?"

"Yup." The redhead grinned brightly.

"No," Toushiro growled pulling the sweater back off. "No no no no no no no. Not happening. Never. No."

* * *

><p><strong>This set was donated by the unknown assassin :)<strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed it. Donations are still closed for the time being, until I settle down for Christmas; I haven't been home in a year D: **

**Reviews are always welcome, and encouraged. **

**-Mymomomo**


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